You're a battle that's worth fighting for
by patriciabzjm
Summary: An unexpected and drunken kiss will shake their world. Arizona is open for a new love but destiny seems to keep pushing happiness away from her. Will Arizona and her new love be able to fight all the battles that will come in the way? Can they leave their past and traumas behind? #MerZona [english is not my first language. I apologize for my mistakes in grammar/spelling]
1. Chapter 1: the cancelled date

"Maggie, please! I promise you that's the last time I ask you to watch the kids this month!" – Meredith asks her sister, while they're both near the front desk on the cardio ward.

"Mer, I am really sorry, but I have plans!" – Maggie points out, smiling.

"DeLuca is not a plan, plus, you and him can do whatever is that you guys do whenever you want. I just need this one night!"

"Why is your date more important than mine?"

"Whatever. I hope he gets stuck in the OR!" – Meredith says, angrily, making Maggie throw her a disapproval look.

"I can babysit the kids for you." – Arizona said, out of the blue, while she was finishing fill in a patient's chart. "I mean, if you want, of course, I didn't mean to intrude" – the blonde says.

"Ha! Problem solved, Mer!" – Maggie says happily, while she leaves the two women talking.

"No, of course it wasn't intruding anything. But that's no need, don't worry" – Meredith answers, with a little awkwardness on her voice.

"I actually don't mind, I've been missing Sofia like hell, it would almost be a selfish act to just hang around some little humans outside the hospital" – Arizona replied, trying to convince Meredith.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Is 8pm a good time?"

"Sure. Thank you, Arizona."

The two of them weren't really close, actually. Ever since the custody episode, Meredith and Arizona barely spoke, and even though Arizona let Callie take Sofia to NY, Meredith never talked to her about it. In fact, she didn't spoke to Callie either, since the latina seemed to forget about all of her life in Seattle. Meredith tried to call Callie several times, since she left 8 months ago, and she didn't answer a single time. But Arizona knew the friendship between Meredith and Callie was solid and she couldn't blame her colleague for testify in Callie's favor at the court. At least she didn't try to lie about Arizona's rights or ability to motherhood. Arizona was conscious that she and Meredith wouldn't be close friends, but sure it would be good to be around her kids for just one night.

She was running a few minutes later when she knocked on Meredith's door.

"Hi, I'm sorry, I'm a bit late! I got an emergency surgery that kept me longer than I've imagined" – the blonde said, realizing that Meredith didn't seem dressed for a date or something like that.

"Gosh, I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot! I completely forgot to call you!" – she replied, feeling guilty.

"Why, what happened? Is everything ok?"

"Well, my date got cancelled. I was going to let you know and I think I was just getting things together around here, and I forgot. I am so so sorry!"

"No, that's ok. Don't worry. But are you ok?" – Arizona asked her, noticing she seemed upset.

"I'm fine. I think I just can't do the date thing anymore. Maybe it's for the best" – Meredith points out.

"Yeah, tell me about it!" – Arizona replied, laughing.

"Do you wanna come in? We can drink some wine, at least. That way I would feel less guilty for making you come over for nothing" – Meredith asks, hoping that the blonde would accept.

"Uhm, that's ok. I think I'll go home." – Arizona says, a little shy.

"I actually would love if you stay. Please?" – Meredith asks her again.

"Ok, then. Let's have some wine" – the blonde said, while entering the other woman's house.

"Red or white?" – Meredith asked, with a big smile

"White, please"

Sitting in the couch on the living room, the two started talking about their kids and the funny things they do in every age group. Meredith asked Arizona about Sofia and the NY situation, surprised that the blonde seemed very reasonable and fine, after all.

"It's hard. Some days are harder than others, but I think she's happy and discovering new things there, so I'm fine. We talk a lot, too." – Arizona said, when Meredith asked her how things were.

"Does Callie talks to you? At all? – Meredith asked.

"Nope. Besides basic things regarding Sofia's trips and school matters, we actually don't have any other conversations. She drifted apart and I'm in no position of judge, I try to respect."

"Well, she doesn't speak to anyone in fact. She never answered a single one of my calls since she left. I stopped caring, to be honest" – Meredith pointed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't know, actually. I thought it was just with me".

They continued the conversation and soon it became more and more comfortable for the both. Arizona lost her distance and Meredith lost her fear of asking something too personal. The second bottle was half way to the end when they were both laughing and telling things from their past.

"I don't wanna jump to the part where Zola's a teenager. I was so horrible when I was a teen. I am terrified" – Meredith quips

"I think that's make us more prepared to deal with them, don't you think? I was a train wreck myself, I just hope Sofia don't do anything really stupid" – Arizona sighed, trying to hear something nice from the other woman.

"You grew up in a military environment, how could you be a wreck?" – Meredith asked, laughing, don't buying what Arizona had affirmed.

"Well, for a start, I grew up being gay. Surrounded by militaries. I guess that's trouble enough!"

"Oh my God, I haven't thought about it. Did you always knew?" – Meredith asked her, totally comfortable with the lesbian subject.

"Yeah, always. I mean, since I discovered sexuality at all. But it's not that easy to find other gay teens when you have to move every six months!" – Arizona answered.

"Well, I was kind of gay myself. A little bit" – Meredith jokes.

"What? What do you mean 'kind of gay'?

"Well, I've date some girls in high school and college. And some boys too." – Meredith explains.

"Wow, that's a surprise! I would never imagine that!"

"Well, Dr. Robbins, I'm full of surprises!" – Meredith jokes, making the blonde laugh hard.

They were in the middle of the third bottle when Maggie came back from her date. A little confused that Meredith was already home and Arizona was still there, Maggie soon understood that the two women were quite drunk.

"Why are you home so early? I thought you were off tomorrow" – Maggie asked Meredith

"I am, indeed. My date was cancelled. But I actually had more fun drinking with Arizona! Join us, Maggie!" – Meredith replied her sister, with a drunken voice

"Oh, shit, it's late, I should be going guys" – Arizona said when she looked at her watch.

"No! Maggie just arrived! You can't leave now, I still need to tell you about my girlfriends!" – Meredith begged the blonde, holding her arm.

"Your what? Did you have girlfriends on the past?" – Maggie asked Meredith, laughing with a curious look.

"Apparently she did, Maggie. I was surprised too!" – Arizona pointed.

"Well, as a matter of fact I did. But I was no good to them. To anyone actually. I was never good at commitments!" – Meredith explained the two women.

"People like you made me bad at commitments in the adulthood!" – Arizona pointed, laughing. "What about you, Maggie? Did you ever broke a girl's heart?"

"Not really. Only boys, I guess. But right now I'm thinking if I was going to be better at this date game if I have been with girls before" – Maggie says, a bit drunk too.

"How old were you when you had your first girlfriend, Arizona?" – Meredith asked.

"16. I mean, the real first, out and everything. But it was awful!"

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, I was totally in love with her. Like, writing love letters and buying her chocolate in love. I introduced her to my parents and grandparents, which was almost the world war three for my family. But I was so happy and in love that everything seemed easier than it really was. Until I caught her making out with a guy from our school at the library. She was with me because she needed a spot on the poetry class that would never admit her because she actually was a terrible writer. But she thought being gay would obligate them to accept her so it wouldn't look like prejudice" – Arizona told the women.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry. She sounds horrible!" – Maggie said, while holding Arizona's hand.

"Yeah, she really broke my heart. But when you're sixteen everything seems so heavier and worse than now. But after her I became a bit of horrible myself too." – Arizona pointed, a little ashamed.

"I think she must have felt something for you too. Maybe she just wasn't ready to come out of the closet. I would never be with someone that I didn't like just to be in some group or something" – Meredith pointed.

The three of them opened one more bottle of wine and not so long after that, Maggie was half asleep on the couch. Meredith and Arizona were really drunk by now, trying to keep the laughter down to not wake Maggie or the kids.

"Mer, I really have to go now, it's freaking late!" – Arizona whispered.

"Are you crazy? You can't drive like that. You're staying!" – Meredith replied, right away.

"No, I can call a cab, don't worry"

"Gosh, you are hard to please!" – Meredith sighed.

"I really hope that wasn't your game with the girls!" – Arizona jokes, making Meredith laugh too.

"Shut up!" – Meredith try to look serious, but can't sustain it. "Look, I have a very large bed and you can easily crash there until tomorrow morning. If it bothers you, I can sleep with Bailey, he usually likes my company in bed"

"It is supposed to be the other way, no?" – Arizona asks. "Like, if you are bothered to share a bed with me!"

"Why would I be bothered? I am the one asking you to stay!" – Meredith answers, confused.

"Not every straight woman feels comfortable sharing bed with lesbians, if you must know…." – a playful Arizona teases Meredith

"I think we've already established that I'm not straight, right?" – Meredith teases Arizona back.


	2. Chapter 2: kiss and runaway

They both made their way to Meredith's bedroom. While Meredith was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and putting her pajamas on, Arizona stood up a little embarrassed of what she was supposed to do: sit in bed or wait for Meredith?

Seeing the blonde standing near the door, Meredith felt a little guilty thinking about her leg and how it must be weird to take it off in front of someone she didn't have much intimacy.

"When I invited you to sleep I actually meant laying down in bed, you know?" – Meredith tried to sound funny.

"Hum, yeah, I know. I just need to use the bathroom first, may I?" – Arizona answered, looking embarrassed and tired.

"Of course. And here. Let me get you something comfortable for you to change" – Meredith answered, picking up some clothes in her wardrobe.

After changing into sweatpants and a college t-shirt, Arizona tied her hair up in a ponytail and left the bathroom to find a half asleep Meredith already in the bed.

Quietly, she laid down on the opposite side of Meredith's bed, trying to be as close to edge as possible. Meredith carefully put her hand on Arizona's arm asking:

"Hey, don't you need to remove the prosthetic to sleep? I mean, you might wake in pain if you sleep with it on, right?"

"Yeah, actually I should remove it, but I don't have any crutches here, so if need to wake up in the middle of the night it will be a problem" – Arizona answered with a quiet voice, almost angelical.

"You can wake me up if you need anything, I'm right next to you" – Meredith pointed out, while getting her head a little up to meet Arizona's eyes.

Suddenly she realizes that her eyes were probably the most beautiful ones she has ever seen. No doubt Arizona was stunning. Everybody knew that and the talk in the hospital was intense since the blonde first arrived. Meredith and Cristina used to joke around about which woman they would date if they suddenly gave up men. Cristina would go after Teddy, because of her cardio-passion. Meredith, on the other hand, never had any doubt: she would pick Arizona Robbins in a blink. And those memories quickly made Meredith smile while she was facing Arizona in her bed.

"What?" – Arizona asked, seeing the other woman smiling.

"Nothing. I was just noticing that you have beautiful eyes" – Meredith answered, still smiling.

"Oh. Thanks. You too" – Arizona replied, a little embarrassed.

"Your lips too. I think you are a stunning woman, in fact" – Meredith pointed, now looking firmly to the blonde's eyes, that immediately became wide open.

Arizona started to blush with the compliment and didn't know exactly what to answer. She was flattered, obviously, since she always thought that Meredith was a very pretty woman. But she has never allowed herself to have second intentions since she always thought Meredith was 100% straight.

After all the dating-girl talking that night and this sudden "you are stunning" it made Arizona confused and, to be honest, thrilled inside.

Realizing that they were staring at each other for a few seconds now, without saying a word, Arizona cleared her throat and tried to sound as natural as possible.

"I think you must be very drunk right now, I probably look awful and disheveled"

Without putting much thought on what Arizona said, Meredith just put her hand on the blonde's cheek and pressed her lips gently against Arizona's. Confused and surprised, Arizona felt a chill down her spine. A few seconds later, Meredith ended the kiss with a big smile on her face and continued to caress Arizona's cheek with her thumb and whispered:

"I think I wanted to do that since you said yes to the wine earlier. I'm glad I did it. And you're not disheveled at all"

"Uhm, I didn't expect that. I'm still kind of surprised." – Arizona said in lower voice, but couldn't help smiling too.

They spent a little more minutes kissing, this time a little deeper and intense. Arizona knew that was the wine talking, while Meredith was finally feeling free and not guilty at all by kissing someone. Trying to keep things calmer, Arizona stopped the kiss, breathing into Meredith's neck.

"I think we really need to get some sleep now and maybe continue this a little less drunk" – Arizona whispered trying hard not to give into her desire to rip off Meredith's clothes.

Meredith replied with a lovely "ok", pulling Arizona closer to her, wrapping her arms around the blonde. Arizona quickly fell asleep, while Meredith stayed awake most of the time. She managed to get some half-hour nap right before the sunrise and had an emotional dream about Derek. When she woke up, she saw Arizona sleeping soundly, with some blonde hair strand on her face. That image was something beautiful to Meredith, but at the same time, scaring. She started to feel some panic inside, thinking that she was completely out of line on the night before. Quietly and quickly, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen to make some coffee and without a warning she just melted down, sobbing and feeling guilty over Derek all over again.

Ellis started to cry and the baby sound woke up Arizona, who felt weird and ashamed when she noticed that Meredith was no longer in bed. She put her prosthetic and changed her clothes on the ensuite bath, washing up her face before she leaves. Going down the stairs, she found Meredith on one couch, while Ellis was playing on the ground with some random toy. Maggie wasn't on the other couch anymore.

"Hey, good morning" – Arizona said, timidly.

"Oh, good morning. Did Ellis wake you up? - Meredith replied, sounding nothing like last night.

"No, she didn't. Don't worry" – Expecting to get some reaction back from Meredith and receiving nothing, Arizona felt sad. "I think I should get going, I must be at the hospital soon."

"Oh, ok. Do you want some coffee or anything before you go?

Arizona left without accepting coffee and also without understanding why Meredith was so distant and cold. She knew it was a possibility since they both were heavily drunk last night, but Meredith didn't seem confused or sorry when she kissed her.

 _She kissed me. She did. Why the hell am I the one who feel guilty?_ – Arizona's thoughts were interrupted by a perky Amelia.

"Good morning, sunshine! How are you this morning?"

"Not as happy as you, I think" – Arizona answered, cranky.

"Well, I can see that. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just have a little hangover, that's all"

"Let's have some coffee then, shall we? Nothing better than that to cure this" – Amelia didn't even waited for Arizona's reply and dragged the blonde towards the coffee cart.

After having the coffee with Amelia, Arizona and the brunette made their way to the OR board to catch up their upcoming surgeries. Maggie joined them, with her own hangover humor, making Amelia feel excluded from the last night party. Maggie stated that it wasn't supposed to be more than a few glasses of wine, but Meredith's canceled date made her a little too much happier than it should.

"Well, we all know that Mer won't feel comfortable with anyone who sees her as an eternal widow. She must find someone she can actually talk to. It's time already!" – Amelia shouted, as she went to her OR.

The day passed faster than Arizona would imagine, and it was almost time for her to go home. Just at the end of her shift she picked up her phone to see several text messages from Meredith. They were all short and a bit weird, with things like "we might need to talk" and "I think I should maybe call you?" written on. Arizona decided not to answer them or call Meredith. If last night was a mistake made by the huge amount of alcohol, then it should be forgotten. It was hard enough to focus on moving on without missing Sofia like hell or wishing she could find someone she could date for a while all, when she knew that maybe she wasn't ready to do so yet.

Worried about Arizona's silence, Meredith started to freak out a little bit. Was she a total ass this morning? Did she make a huge mistake by acting distant and cold with Arizona? She was confused and a little guilty, for sure, but she couldn't deny that kissing the blonde was one of the most amazing things that happened on the last few months. Besides the kiss, all the talk and fun they had made Meredith feel sad about the way she acted in the morning, caused by the panic attack she had over the dream with Derek.


	3. Chapter 3: a night to remember

The next morning hit the doctors like a thunder: a major accident involving a school bus and 3 cars. All the on call surgeons were paged, including Meredith and Arizona, who bumped into each other at the pit, putting the yellow gown and running to the ER front entrance. Meredith smiled when she saw Arizona, who just said good morning and ran to assist the first kid who was getting pulled out of the ambulance.

"What do we have here?" – Arizona asked the paramedic.

"Peter Jensen, 7 years old, major trauma on the head and chest, BP 100 over 60 and dropping. We gave him fluids and lidocaine ten minutes ago"

"Ok, let's put him on trauma 1, c'mon, move people!" – Arizona shouted to all the doctors and nurses helping her to push the gurney.

After the busy morning and afternoon, performing back-to-back surgeries, Arizona and Meredith finally had a time off and accidently bumped into each other again, this time on the attending's lounge.

"I sent you a bunch of texts yesterday" – Meredith said, while she was sitting on the couch next to the blonde.

"Uhm, yeah, I was far away from my phone all day, and by the time I saw them, I figured it was kind of late to disturb you" – Arizona explained, trying not to look Meredith on the eyes and get caught on the lie.

"You wouldn't disturb me, you know that"

Noticing that she would have to face this conversation sooner or later, Arizona just sighed and stated with kindness but also firmly:

"Look, Meredith, we really don't have to do this. Or anything, actually. We had a great night, we drank more than we should and we got carried on. You don't owe me explanations and I certainly don't want to make a big fuss out of nothing. Let's just move on with our lives without feeling uncomfortable every time we see each other, because we work at the same place"

Arizona quickly exited the room, without giving Meredith a chance to reply her statement. Meredith stayed on the lounge, with a lost look on her eyes, trying to understand why the hell she was making everything wrong with the blonde.

As the rain was falling hard on the night, Arizona got home and found DeLuca watching TV on the living room. He offered his roommate a beer, but Arizona refused, asking him to keep it quiet because she was awfully tired and needed a sleep. He nodded, gently, and turned down a bit the sound of the TV.

At home, unquiet, Meredith was putting the kids on bed but her mind was still on the kiss and the weird morning after. She knew she had to apologize to Arizona and explain what she was feeling. But that was a hard thing to do when the blonde didn't reply any of her messages or even accept having a conversation, rather than a monologue, about this matter.

Amelia noticed that something was wrong with her sister and asked if she needed any help. Meredith remained in silence, looking at the rain falling down by the living room window.

"Hey, earth to Meredith!" – Amelia joked.

"What? Sorry, I was distracted" – Meredith replied her sister.

"Yeah, one can tell. What happened? Is everything ok?"

"Have you ever acted weird with someone and regret it badly after?" – Meredith asked Amelia, that immediately gave her a curious look.

"I supposed so. Why? Did it happened to you?" – Amelia asked.

"I made it happen, in fact. I did it to someone I'm fond of." – Meredith pointed, still looking a little lost.

"Well, can you apologize?"

"I've tried to. She doesn't want to talk, though"

"So, we're talking about a she. Who is she?" – Amelia asked, now clearly intrigued.

"Doesn't matter. I'm going to bed. Good night, Amelia" – Meredith tried to exit the room, when her sister grabbed her by the arm.

"You don't have to tell me what happened or who it happened with. But if you're feeling bad you should try harder to apologize. You know, go big. It's the only thing that will ease your mind, anyways." – Amelia stated, with a sweet smile, and patted her sister on the shoulder.

Meredith kept rewinding her sister speech on her head over and over again, until she decided she should go big, indeed.

"Hey, I have to get out for a while. The kids are sleeping, but can you keep an eye on them? I will be back soon" – Meredith asked Amelia, standing in the doorway of the brunette's bedroom.

Amelia nodded and Meredith jumped on her car, driving to Arizona's house. She parked her car on the street and stayed inside for a few seconds before heading out to Arizona's front door. She knocked on the door, nervously, when the rain was even harder, keeping her soaked up.

DeLuca answered the door, surprised to see one of the doctors on the doorway, all wet and clearly nervous.

"Dr. Grey, hi, what happened? Are you ok?" – the intern asked, concerned.

"Is Arizona home?" – Meredith asked.

"She is sleeping, actually. Can I help you?" – DeLuca insisted.

"I really need to talk to her, can I come in?" – Meredith ignored the intern's offer to help and tried to force her way in.

A little clumsy, DeLuca opened the door so Meredith could come in, but quickly remembered Arizona's request to rest.

"I'm afraid Dr. Robbins is in a very deep sleep now. She got home really tired and asked me to not disturb her. Can I call someone else to help you instead? Are you ok?" – he insisted, with a lovely voice.

"Arizona! I really need to talk to you!" – Meredith shouted, making DeLuca nervous about the noises that would probably wake Arizona.

"Dr. Grey, I'm sorry, but I will ask you to leave now." – the intern tried to keep his voice firm, even though he didn't actually know how to act in this.

Hearing some voices, Arizona got up and grabbed her crutches, making her way down the stairs, giving a confused look to DeLuca and Meredith, arguing a few inches by the front door.

"Hey, what's going on?" – Arizona asked, sounding a little sleepy.

"Dr. Robbins, I'm sorry, I told Dr. Grey you needed to sleep, she just insisted…" – DeLuca got cut by a nervous Meredith.

"I need to talk to you. It wasn't his fault, I insisted. Can we please talk?"

Nodding to DeLuca, Arizona walked towards the kitchen with Meredith, who was still dripping from the rain? DeLuca got up to his room, still confused about what just happened there.

"Why are you soaked up like that?" – Arizona asked, truly concerned seeing Meredith all wet.

"I forgot my umbrella. I'm ok." – Meredith answered.

Arizona left the kitchen and got back a minute later with two large towels, wrapping them around Meredith. They sat on the high chairs on the kitchen and kept staring at each other's eyes for a moment. The look they exchanged was getting deeper and more intense each time. Meredith broke the silence between them.

"I really need to apologize to you. I would go crazy if I didn't do it today"

"What for?" – Arizona asked, intrigued.

"That morning. I was scared and confused and guilty and all I could do was running away and be cold because that is what I do when someone try to break my walls" – Meredith stated.

"I'm sorry. I had absolutely no intentions in breaking any walls" – Arizona explained, a little angry.

"I know. But you did, anyway. And it hit me. Hard. And I ran. So, I'm sorry" – Meredith pointed, apologizing with a sincere and sweet voice, putting her hand on top of Arizona's.

"You don't need to apologize, I've told you earlier today" – Arizona said, pulling her hand out of Meredith's, which grabbed hers again.

"No, you're not listening to me. I do need to apologize, because I would feel really bad if this was the other way around. If I was at your house and you treated me like that. And I don't want you to feel bad. Our night was amazing. Our kissing was freaking amazing. I had no place in acting the way I did" – Meredith tried to sound even clearer so Arizona could understand what she really meant.

"Meredith, I appreciate that you came all the way here to say that you're sorry, but I really don't see a point in all of this. We're ok. Can we move on?" – Arizona stated.

"Why? Am I all alone in this? Can you tell me that I'm the only one who feel this?" – Meredith asked the blonde, while looking deep into her nice blue eyes.

Arizona just sighed unsure of what she should answer. Of course she felt it too. But she was afraid to allow herself to acknowledge this feeling that was growing up inside of her. It was easier to see that as a drunken kiss rather than anything else.

"Arizona?" – Meredith called her name, still expecting some answer.

"What do you want me to say, Meredith? That I feel it too? That the kiss meant more to me than I expected? Or better than I ever imagined? Where does it take us? We should forget it, before someone gets hurt" – Arizona made her statement with sadness on her eyes, but trying hard not to cry.

"I won't get hurt, Arizona. I know what I'm dealing with" – Meredith said, trying to offer security to the blonde.

"Well, but I will, Meredith!" – Arizona shouted, louder than she planned to. Then, with a lower voice, she continued. "I will be the one who will get hurt by the time this crush or whatever fades."

"Why do you think this is a crush? And why do you think it'll fade away?" – Meredith asked, still calmly.

"Ok. So, what is this? To you? If it's not a crush, than what is it?" – Arizona asked her.

"I don't know, but I really hope I can find out with you, though." – Meredith pointed out, grabbing the blonde's hand again.

Without controlling her tears any longer, Arizona felt them running down through her cheeks and waited a moment before she replied.

"Mer, you're not gay. And I'm not in the date-game anymore; I'm done playing around for a few one-night-stands. I've been through some much, actually, we both have. This is not a fun time for me. And sooner or later you will want something serious in your life too, you're young and gorgeous and smart and funny, you know you still have a lot of life ahead of you. But I care, you know? I care for you. You're not just someone I met in a bar and made out with. So I care about what do you think, or how do you feel, or whatever. And I know we're not close friends, but that's who I am. I care." – Arizona stated, with the most heavenly voice she could, melting Meredith while they were still holding hands.

"First of all: enough with the gay thing. I refuse to be treated like a playful curious teenager. I have had experiences with women before. I was married to a man and have dated many others, but that doesn't put me on the black list for gay relationships. And I never said that it was a one-night stand thing. I wouldn't put myself and you through a complicated thing if it was just for one night." – Meredith started her statement, speaking very quickly until she needed to catch a breath. Looking into Arizona's eyes, still wet from the tears she was crying, she continued: "And I also care for you. A lot. This is definitely not a game for me."

The two women remained in silence, looking at each other with kind eyes and searching for more words to express what was going through their minds. Without being able to form any significant sentences, they just spend a little more time caressing each other's hands. At a certain point, they both smiled at each other and that melted Meredith's heart. Arizona's dimples were something from another world and Meredith couldn't resist it any longer. She got closer and pressed her lips against Arizona's, in which was the beginning of a slow and tender kiss, and quickly became a sexy and heated kiss, with both tongues fighting to conquer each other's mouth. Both women felt their stomachs turned inside out with desire and their hearts seemed to be beating out of their chests. Meredith hadn't been with a woman in a very long time. Long enough to forget that softness of a woman's lips and touch. She wanted Arizona without any doubt and she wanted now. On the other hand, Arizona who only had lesbian relationships, knew exactly what she should expect of a kiss like that, even though Meredith seemed to be a whole new adventure and surprise, like something completely different of what she have ever tasted. Their kiss sounded like a symphony and nobody wanted to end it. Needing to catch a breath, keeping their foreheads in touch, Arizona decided that things should go slowly if they wanted to reflect on what they were doing.

"We should take it slow. I don't want this to be a no-way back thing for us. Can we slow it down, for now?"

"We can. But something tells me that we are already on this one-way path" – Meredith said, without pulling out her head from near Arizona's.

They smiled and sealed one last kiss, until Meredith realizes that she should head home already. They said their goodbyes on the front door and shared another long and intense kiss, one that made Meredith's knees go weak. When Arizona closed the door, she had to sit on the couch for a few minutes trying to even her accelerate breath. That was a night to remember.


	4. Chapter 4: you better like her

The following week at the hospital was filled with stolen kisses at the stairs and supply rooms, like they were both two interns with tons of hormones out of control, and long conversations over the phone before they went to sleep. Arizona was trying to convince Meredith that they should have a decent first date, while Meredith just laughed at the fact that Arizona seemed more old-fashioned than she ever imagined. Both women seemed happy.

Karev was the first to notice that something was different for Arizona. They were working on a 4-year-old case in peds and she seemed oddly happy and perky, even more than the usual.

"What is wrong with you?" – He asked in a grumpy way.

"With me? Nothing. Why?" – Arizona answered, confused.

"You are so…. I don't know…. Happy?!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" – Arizona pointed, while she left the patient's room, smiling and shaking her head.

"Hey, Alex! Are you also scrubbing in on the Johnson kid later today?" – Jo asked him, when she saw him at the reception desk writing something on a chart.

"What do you mean also? He's my patient" – Karev answered his girlfriend.

"Well, Robbins let me go with you guys! I never have a case like this before!" – Jo explained.

"She did? What the hell is wrong with Robbins? She's all happy and being good to everyone" – Alex asked, confused.

"She IS good, Alex. Stop being so grumpy!" – Jo pointed while she walk towards the elevator.

After the boy's surgery, that went extremely successful, Arizona, Alex and Jo went to the attending's lounge to sit and rest a while, before they have to check on their post-ops. A few minutes later, Meredith entered the room, smiling directly to Arizona, who couldn't help but smile back. As they were talking about the surgery, Jo's pager went off and she excused herself and left.

"Alex, she is really talented, you know? She actually kind of surprised me today on the OR." – Arizona exclaimed it.

"Why? What she did?" – Meredith asked, curiously.

"She was self centered and alert all of the time. I didn't have to ask for anything the entire surgery, she predicted all of my moves. Really impressive!" – Arizona explained and her pager went off with a 911 on the ER. "Ouch, 911 on the ER. Gotta go!"

"Arizona's a great teacher, right? I'm glad Wilson is doing so well." – Meredith pointed, looking at Alex while she was drinking a bottle of water.

"Robbins is great, but something's happening these days… she's too happy. It's weird." – Alex pointed.

"She is?" – Meredith couldn't contain her giant smile when she heard her friend saying the woman she is into was happy.

"Yeah, she is. And you seem happy too. What is it? A virus or something?" – he replied in the grumpy usual way.

"Maybe it is" – Meredith answered it, smiling while she left the room.

It took a few seconds for Karev to realize that they were both happy, at the same time.

"No way!" – he exclaimed, alone in the room. "Are they…?"

Still confused and suspicious, Karev looked for Meredith at the cafeteria, since they both had night shifts that day. He was a loyal friend to Meredith and forever grateful for everything that Arizona did for him, so he felt obligate to protect both women from the well-known wreck they were when it came to love.

"We need to talk." – Alex pointed out, sitting on an empty chair at the table where Meredith was eating her salad.

Looking both sides confused and confirming that there wasn't anybody else close, she replied:

"Okaaay… I'm listening."

"Robbins' happy. And you're happy. She used to be happy but since Sofia went to NY she have been miserable. And you're miserable. And now you're both happy. So what's going on between you two?" – Alex stated, letting Meredith confused about whether he was happy about it or not.

"What makes you think that there is anything going on between us?" – the woman tried to sound funny and clueless about what her friend was affirming.

"Mer, c'mon. Are you gonna lie at my face?" – Alex was now even more sure than before.

"Alex. Ok. But this must die here, with you. You're sworn to secrecy, ok?" – Meredith looked right into Alex's eyes trying to look as serious as possible. "We're dating. Or something like that. We actually haven't been on an actual date yet."

"Jesus Christ. Since when? And why?" – Alex sounded disgusted.

"Since last week and why are you being such a jerk about it?" – Meredith asked him, noticing the disapproval tone in his voice.

"Because, Mer, don't you think she had enough already? Her wife left her and took her kid across the country, she doesn't have almost no close friend anymore here… she's not a toy for you to play around and toss it out whenever you're done! She doesn't deserve it, you know." – Alex pointed, almost disappointed with his best friend.

"Alex, I'm not going to toss her out, what do you think I am?" – Meredith answered him with a firm voice and angrily eyes. "I like her, for real. And I think she likes me too!"

"Well, you better like her indeed. I really don't wanna be the one she comes crying to, if you somehow realizes that you're not into woman after all." – He explained and left the cafeteria, making Meredith think about those words.

She has true feelings for Arizona, but somehow all the things Alex said makes sense. She has few close friends, since the custody trial that divided the entire hospital. April and Arizona weren't the same since she told Jackson about April's pregnancy and she knew that Webber would never talk to Arizona about love life if the other person was her. Arizona only had DeLuca and Alex, while Meredith seemed to have many more close persons to help her these past months. Suddenly the weight of Alex's words began to scare Meredith and she decided to avoid Arizona for a few days until she could reflect about what was going on for real between them.


	5. Chapter 5: flying out

The next two days were easier to Meredith, since she had the first one as a day off and Arizona got the second one, which means that they wouldn't see each other at the hospital. Arizona, however, texted Meredith a couple of times on those two days with cute things like 'I miss you' or 'no visits at supply room to make my day better". Strangely she got no answer back. She knew Meredith didn't like texting, but since they haven't seen each other, she thought it would be a good way to express that she really had missed her.

Meredith saw the texts and felt even worse. Should she text anything back? Should she ignore it? What if Alex was right and maybe she was just fooling herself about Arizona? She couldn't bear to be the one who might broke the blonde's heart, she just wasn't made for relationships.

On the third day, they bumped into each other on the parking lot, arriving early in the morning. Arizona had this really weird feeling that somehow Meredith wasn't on the same page as her.

"Good morning, stranger!" – Arizona joked, trying to show confidence.

"Oh, good morning. Early shift?" – Meredith replied, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Early shift? That's all she has to say? After a week full of stolen kisses and beaming smiles, suddenly they've become even strangers than they were before that first kiss. Arizona seemed confused and sad, not understanding what happened. Not wanting to continue this vague conversation, she just murmured:

"Yeah, something like that"

Meredith felt bad and knew that the blonde noticed her strange behavior. She really wanted to talk to someone about that, but Alex had already turned his back against it, and she was afraid Maggie and Amelia wouldn't understand it properly.

At lunchtime Amelia, Maggie, Meredith and Alex were eating at the cafeteria, when Amelia spotted Arizona entering the room. They've become closer after Herman's tumor and often spend a lot of time talking.

"Robbins, come sit with us!" – The brunette called out.

Arizona looked at the table and quickly found an excuse to refuse Amelia's invitation.

"I'm sorry guys, I just got paged, I'm gonna eat it at my office later. Have a good lunch, though" – the blonde said, leaving them.

Alex exchanged looks with Meredith, noticing that Arizona had a lame excuse and that it probably has something to do with their clumsy relationship.

Meredith looked down and avoided Alex's judgmental look.

"You guys were getting so close lately, did something happened?" – Maggie asked Meredith.

"Uhm, no, nothing happened. We've just been busy, that's all" – Meredith replied, vaguely.

After two days without having absolutely no contact with Meredith, Arizona was feeling bad and angry, mostly because she hated leaving things undone or unsaid. She decided to text her, trying to get a closure, at least.

 _That was not the first time I've been turned down. I know how it goes. I just wish we could meet and talk about it, like adults. You can relax, I won't try to change your mind._

A few hours after the text, Arizona's phone buzzed and she pick it up immediately, imagining that was Meredith's answer. Actually, it was Hugh McFarden, an old friend and teacher of hers, asking her to return his call whenever she had a chance.

After a long surgery on a newborn with a damaged lung, Arizona sat down in her office and returned the call. She was quite surprised with what she heard on the other side of the call. McFarden invited her to visit George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC and, perhaps, consider to accept a spot there. The offer was tempting, since they developed recently a huge peds and neonatal program, which she would run if she accepts it. Plus, her parents live in DC and it was closer to NY, so she could see Sofia more often.

Although, she knew that leaving Seattle wasn't easy for her. She finally got used to the city and the people there, plus she has two departments to run at Grey Sloan's. She asked her friend for a few hours to think about it.

When she arrived home, she remembered how Meredith stole her breath on that raining day and how she felt so alive and happy over that. Realizing that Meredith hasn't answered her text, she called Dr. McFarden.

 _"_ _Hugh, hi! It's Arizona. I would love to have a meeting with you next week"_


	6. Chapter 6: unless ?

A few days gone by and Meredith was getting more and more angry about everything, being impatient and rude to people with no apparent reason. Amelia noticed her sister's behavior and tried to find out what was that about.

"Hey, easy tiger! He's only 3!" – Amelia said when Meredith blurt out over Bailey, who let several toys spread on the living room floor. "What's going on with you, Mer? You have been angry for days!"

"Nothing! I'm just tired of stepping on these toys!" – she grumbles.

"Well, it seems to me that something is bothering you and that's not only Bailey's toys" – Amelia remarks, as she leaves the room.

After a long and hot shower, Meredith cried in her bed, missing having someone to comfort her or at least to look at her and saying that things will be all right. Arizona said it to her a few times, every time Meredith demonstrate insecurity about having to wait a little longer for them to out their relationship – or whatever that was – to their friends and colleagues. Arizona wanted things to go slow and properly. She wanted a real date first. Meredith soon was enjoying the idea of having a first date, and allowing herself to feel all of those butterflies in her stomach thinking about how it should be. But all of that ended when she got confused and messed things up after her conversation with Alex. She pushed Arizona away and got angry after that, unhappy and confused. She misses the blonde; she misses her smile and those kind and long conversations over the phone before they sleep.

 _I gotta talk to her. I'm such an ass! –_ Meredith got her thoughts interrupted by Dr. Bailey's page summoning every board member and a few attendings to a reunion in half hour.

The conference room was full and nobody knew what was that about. Bailey was the last to enter and greeted her colleagues, implying that she was about to start the meeting. Meredith noticed that Arizona wasn't there yet.

"Chief, Dr. Robbins is missing." – Meredith exclaimed, hoping she could cross path with Arizona and apologize, again, for her childish behavior these past weeks.

"Dr. Robbins won't attend this meeting today, she's out to DC. In fact, that is one of the points I want to discuss here" – Dr. Bailey pointed, when Meredith interrupted her.

"What do you mean, she's out to DC?"

"You didn't know?" – Amelia asked Meredith, with a confused look.

"Dr. Robbins received an offer of DC's greatest hospital. She informed me that she was going to attend a meeting with them and make her decision. It's a great loss for us, but…" – Dr. Bailey couldn't end her sentence when Meredith blurt out again, interrupting her.

"An offer? We can't lose our head of Peds and Neonatal. When did this happen?"

"Dr. Grey, I suggest you save your questions for Robbins when she gets back. I have a lot of things to discuss besides your discontentment with this. May I go on, please?" – Dr. Bailey replied with impatience.

"You really didn't know?" – Amelia whispered to Meredith, who was sitting across the table.

"Do I look like I knew it? Of course I didn't know!" – Meredith exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down, though.

"Dr. Grey, is there something else you would like to share with us?" – Dr. Bailey asked the woman, now sounding angry.

"No, Chief. I'm sorry." – Meredith apologized.

Bailey pointed out to her staff the need to hire someone to lead Ortho and consider some names in case Arizona really decides to leave the hospital.

By the time the meeting ended, Meredith left the room quickly, avoiding talking to anyone. Alex showed his judgmental look by shaking his head. Maggie looked confused with her sister's reaction and turned to Amelia:

"That was really strange, right? Meredith's reaction?"

"Totally. And I thought they were closer now, so Meredith would know" – Amelia pointed, when she paused for a moment and continued – "Unless…."

"What? Unless what?" – Maggie asked.

"Uh... nothing. It's nothing. I think she's just stressed out." – Amelia replied, being evasive.


	7. Chapter 7: I only have myself to blame

Still shocked by the sudden information about Arizona, Meredith was hiding in a on call room, deciding whether she should call the blonde or not.

She pulled out her phone from her lab coat and texted Arizona.

 _Just heard about DC. Can't believe you haven't said anything. Are you really considering leaving Seattle?_

A few minutes later, she heard the buzz and saw the reply.

 _It's just a meeting tomorrow morning, haven't decide on anything yet._

 _Why didn't you tell me?_

 _It's not like we had plenty chances to talk these days, right? I'm going to a meeting and visiting my parents. They live in DC and NY is close too. Might be good change, after all. I have to go now, my plane is taking off._

Meredith started to fear what she was facing in that moment: she lost Arizona and any chance of living something light and comfortable with someone that could see her more than just a doctor or widow or mother. She cried on the room with her head on hands, blaming herself for all of that mess.

At home, Meredith seemed very distracted with a lost stare while the kids were having dinner. It was just about that time when Amelia got home and found her sister not paying attention on Ellis who were trying to eat by herself with no success.

"Hey baby girl, I guess you are finding trouble in taking this food into your tiny mouth, right? Aunt Amy will help you!" – Amelia said to her niece. "Meredith, are you ok? Do you need some rest? I can watch the kids and put them into bed, if you want"

"Oh, thanks, Amelia. I think I need to lay down"- Meredith answered with watered eyes.

Amelia knew that something was wrong but Meredith was a hard person to help, since she never allowed anyone to get into her life. She accepted help with the daily routine with the kids and at the hospital, but when it comes to emotions, she just keeps everyone out. The kids seemed very tired and were easy to put down into bed. Bailey was the last one to accept his bedtime, but it took only two pages of his favorite book read by Amelia and he was sleeping soundly.

Amelia walked down the hall and knocked on her sister's door. Meredith didn't answer anything so Amelia just opened up a little to find the other woman lying on fetal position with a box of tissues, looking like she have been crying since she left the kitchen earlier.

"Mer, what happened?" – Amelia asked concerned and with a warm voice, sitting down besides Meredith

"Nothing, I really want to be alone right now, Amelia" – Meredith replied, avoiding Amelia's eyes.

"Hey, you can't do that, you can't just push everyone away from you. Like it or not, I'm your sister and I am here. So crying alone in your bed is not an option. You can either tell me what's wrong and try to feel better, or you can just cry in silence with me, holding your hand through the night. It's up to you" – Amelia stated, firmly.

"I think I screwed up, Amelia. I screwed up bad this time" – Meredith confessed.

"Is that about Arizona?" – Amelia asked, with a kindly voice.

"Did Alex talk to you?" – Meredith asked, lifting her head up to look at Amelia this time.

"No, why? Does he know something that I don't?" – Amelia asked and Meredith just nodded, with a single tear running down her cheeks. Amelia held her hand tight and continued: "I'm asking because since I noticed you two really close, you both seemed very happy. And last week you were both cranky and distant and today at the meeting you acted really weird when Bailey told about DC. So I just figured that something wasn't quite right"

"I feel weird talking about that with you, to be honest." – Meredith confessed.

"Because I'm Derek's sister or because of yourself?" – Amelia teased, laughing.

"Both, I guess" – Meredith replied, with a slight smile on her face.

"Mer, I'm an alive witness of how much you and my brother loved each other, and also how hard things were in the end. Marriages fail all the time, even the perfect ones. Unfortunately he died, and you just had to deal with this doubt of wondering if things would be better after all or if you were going to option by getting divorce. But it actually doesn't matter. Time has past, you still have a long life ahead of you and you truly deserve to be happy, how many times if you feel like. But with whom and when, it's not up to me, or anyone for that matter. That's your life. But you have to accept it too, otherwise you'll sabotage yourself every single time happiness come knocking at your door" – Amelia said honestly, still holding Meredith's hand.

"Geez, when did you get so smart?" – Meredith joked.

"Shut up, idiot. Are you going to tell me what happened or not?" – Amelia insisted.

"Well, we kissed. Arizona and I. And it was terrific. And terrifying too because it wasn't supposed to be that good. But then I freaked out and treated her badly. I apologize and things seemed amazing again. She asked me to take things slowly so we can figure it out what we were going to be, after all. But one night Alex kind of figured it out about us and gave me a lecture about how reckless I was considering how much Arizona had been through already. And then I freaked out again, and pushed her away. I was afraid I couldn't bear feeling guilty about being happy again and hurt her. I care about her too much to do so. I was trying to be mature but I guess I was horrible instead. And now she's on the other side of this freaking country considering a job offer to stay in the same city of her parents and closer to Sofia. So there it goes my first real happiness after all of those dark years, and I only have myself to blame" – Meredith confessed, with a sad voice and watered eyes.

"Well, you can sit here feeling pathetic and sorry for yourself or you can actually do something and taking responsibility for. Being happy is scary and unusual and rare. But if you felt this, even if for a few moments, if that was true to you, then you have to fight for it. She's a hell of a woman, I can tell you that. What are you so afraid about? Nobody gets into a relationship with guarantees of being happily ever after. She knows she might get hurt and so do you. Are you scared of being labeled as gay? Or because she cheated on Callie? C'mon, Mer. You got to stand up and be honest with you!" – Amelia spoke with a slightly louder voice.


	8. Chapter 8: fight for it

After talking to her sister, Meredith felt better. She was lying down in bed, trying to fall asleep but couldn't stop thinking about Arizona and the deepness of her stunning blue eyes. That stare, the smile, her sweet voice saying 'good morning', the desire of having more than just stolen kisses at the hospital, all of that kept Meredith awake, when she finally remembered Amelia's word: _if that was true to you, then you have to fight for it._ She quickly picked up her phone and started to search some website. She got up and put some clothes on, prepared a small bag of diapers and stuff for Ellis and picked up her coat from the wardrobe.

Then, she went to Amelia's room and knocked on the door, opening it slowly. Amelia was sleeping and didn't hear Meredith coming in.

"Amelia! Amelia, wake up!" – Meredith whispered.

"What? It's past midnight, what happened?" – Amelia answered still sleepy

"I thought about what you said and I'm gonna do it."

"Do what?" – Amelia asked confused, trying to go back to sleep.

"Fight for it. For her. I'm flying to DC tonight!" – Meredith explained, smiling.

"You WHAT?" – Amelia woke up immediately, sitting up in her bed.

"There is a red-eye flight in 2 hours, so I'm gonna go, and tell her that I'm sorry and I want to work things out and I won't be able to do that if she moves away. But I need to take Ellis with me because she has the flu and the daycare won't keep her there tomorrow. Also because I am still pretty scared of flying, so she will help me through it. I have the day off tomorrow and I'll be back at night" – Meredith explained her plan, with all the details she thought of.

"Are you sure? I mean, did you told her you're going there?" – Amelia asked, still confused about her sister's plan.

"No. She'll turn me down if I tell her." – Meredith replied.

"Ok, then. I guess you've made up your mind already. I can take the kids to daycare tomorrow, don't worry." – Amelia pointed.

"Thank you. But I still need you to take me to the airport now, otherwise I'll miss my flight!" – Meredith asked.

"Are you kidding me?" – Amelia complained, disbelieving what her sister was telling her.

"I'll ask Maggie to watch out for the kids, even though they'll probably sleep all night. Please, Amelia! I need your help!" – Meredith begged her.

"Ok, all right. But I'll go on my pajamas." – Amelia replied, while she got off her bed.

The flying experience was still hard on Meredith and Arizona, although neither of them would admit. Having Ellis along made Meredith focus on her breath, since she couldn't take any sleeping pills and let her 2 year old alone on the plane. She was more scared of Arizona's reaction than the flight itself right now. What if she thinks that's insane? What if she's already decided to move and leave their story (or at least its beginning) behind? What if she wants to live closer to Sofia and, consequently, closer to Callie? Does Meredith have any chance if it comes to this kind of choice? She wouldn't know until she arrives in DC and see those beautiful eyes of Arizona, staring at her like the first time they kissed in Meredith's bed.

Thankfully the flight was easy enough for Meredith and Ellis even take a quick nap before it landed. Since they didn't have any luggage, they quickly left the airport until Meredith realizes she didn't know exactly what she should do.

 _Car. I need to rent a car._

She rented a car right there at the airport, requesting a baby seat for Ellis. Then she programmed her GPS on the phone with the George Washington University Hospital address and drove as fast as she could. Arizona said in her text that she would have a meeting in the morning. It was 8:30am and Meredith knew that she would probably get there later than she wanted. Maybe Arizona was already there, accepting her new job with these new doctors and maybe finding her new love. This thought caused terror in Meredith. She was avoiding naming her feelings for Arizona all of this time, but the second she thought about the blonde falling in love with someone else made her the saddest woman on Earth.

When Meredith arrived at the hospital, she went to the front desk and asked around trying to find if Arizona was already there.

"Hi, good morning. I am looking for someone, Arizona Robbins" – Meredith announced.

"Is she a patient?" - The receptionist asked her.

"No, actually she's a doctor. But she doesn't work here, at least not yet. She came for a meeting, with somebody in Pediatrics, I believe" – Meredith explained, while holding a crying Ellis that probably needed to be fed.

"And you are…?" – The receptionist asked, a little suspicious.

"I'm her family. I'm supposed to pick her up here, so when she leaves can you please tell her to find me outside? She's blonde woman, I'm sure you will recognize her. Thank you." – Meredith said quickly, leaving to the parking lot. That sounded weird and suspicious, she thought.

The meeting ended after an hour or so, and Arizona said goodbye to her friend near the front desk. When she stopped to return her visitor badge, she was surprised by what she was told.

"I'm sorry, are you Arizona Robbins?" – The receptionist asked, realizing that she matched the description.

"Yes, I am. I was in the meeting with Dr. McFarden, just returning my badge." – Arizona answered.

"There's someone of your family waiting for you at the parking lot, she asked me to inform you before you leave"


	9. Chapter 9: if you still want me

Intrigued by the information the woman dropped on her, Arizona started to walk out of the hospital door. Her parents left early in the morning for a navy gathering that happened every year with all the navy veterans of her dad's year. She didn't have any other family members in DC.

She just needed a few steps to glance Meredith holding Ellis leaning on a car and she was shocked.

"What are you doing her? Is she ok?" Arizona asked referring to the little Ellis.

"Well, she is. I'm not. I needed to see you." – Meredith pointed.

"Did you fly here just to see me? Are you nuts?" – Arizona exclaimed, still in shock.

"Have you said yes?" – Meredith asked, ignoring the blonde's question.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you said yes to the job offer? Are you moving here?" – Meredith sounded sad.

"I told you it was just a meeting, I haven't said anything yet. What are you doing here Meredith?" – Arizona said, with a concerned ton on her voice.

"Can we just sit down and eat something? I had a long flight and this one just stopped crying now" – Meredith begged.

Nodding and taking Ellis from Meredith, Arizona smiled to the baby and then to Meredith, shaking her head no as she was crazy to have done this. They entered the rental car and went to a diner near the hospital.

"Is this any good?" – Arizona asked about the place.

"I don't know, you were the one who lived here!" – Meredith joked.

"I did when I was 7. Can't remember this place, though." – Arizona replied, teasing the other woman.

They sat at a table in the back of the diner and Meredith quickly ordered a giant cup of coffee and some waffles, while Arizona just ordered a coffee.

"I'm an idiot, you know?" – Meredith started.

"I'm beginning to notice that. What the hell were you thinking flying over here with little Ellis?" – Arizona asked, intrigued.

"I needed to see you. And Ellis would make me safer at the flight. It's a 6 hour flight, it is not that easy, you know?" – Meredith pointed out.

"Yes, I'm very aware of that. But why are you here Mer?" – Arizona asked sounding sweet.

"You left! I screwed it all up and you left. And you are maybe taking this job and I didn't know what to do! I'm such a mess, I know that, but I couldn't leave things like that. I needed to see you and that's why I came here" – Meredith explained.

"It doesn't make any sense, you know? You've pushed me away and drifted apart for the past weeks, you didn't talked to me at all. The message was quite clear to me." – Arizona stated.

"No, there was no message. I freaked out. Again. And when these things happen, I run. It's my first reaction. But then I realized that I don't wanna run away from you. At all!" – Meredith said taking Arizona's hand. – "I'm so sorry for being the person I was. I know you shouldn't waste anytime with me because I'm this huge complicated mess. But this mess really likes you."

"Meredith, I said it before and I'm gonna say it again: I care for you. The things you do or think, matters to me. I don't think you're a mess. I don't think you're a bad person or that I lost time with you. But I really think we are in different places right now. You are discovering that you can fall in love again, and that's wonderful, it's really great, but it's not gonna be with me." – Arizona explained trying to hold the tears.

"Why? Why do you say that?" – Meredith asked noticing the watered eyes on the blonde.

"Because we are too much. We know each other's past, our history. Are you really willing to begin something with a woman? Explain it to your kids? To our friends at the hospital? To Callie? Are you willing to battle the countless battles that means having a relationship with me? A one-leg woman with a cheating record? Sooner or later you'll realize that I was a safe harbor for a while, but not someone you would like to fall in love with. I'm the real mess here!" – Arizona explained, now letting her tears run down her cheeks.

"You're not a mess! Nothing you said it's true. Nothing! I don't care about your past, I don't care about any records. And I certainly don't care about the fact that you have one leg, except that I really would be grateful to help you in whatever you need about it. I like battles. You worth fight them all." – Meredith replied, holding Arizona's hand tight.

"I just think this is too much. And honestly, I don't want to be with someone who will run away every time she gets scared. Because I'm scared too, but if we decide to run away, then we're going to ruin this." – Arizona pointed.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. That's why I'm here, to tell you I'm not gonna run anymore. Ever. I know I'll want to, I'll be terrified sometimes and wish I could disappear, but I won't. I'm gonna sit down and talk to you, maybe cry, maybe freak out, but with you. And we're going to figure it out, together. I mean, if you want to. If you still want me." – Meredith answered looking deep into Arizona's blue eyes.

The two women were interrupted when Meredith's waffles came in. The pause made Arizona relieved because she didn't know what to answer and how to do it without crying, since she already had a knot in her throat.

"So. Do you? Want me?" – Meredith asked, smiling.

"You're impossible!" – Arizona answered, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Is that a yes?!" – Meredith teased her.

"No running?" – Arizona asked.

"No running. Promise." – Meredith replied, with a beautiful smile on her face.

"Let's go to my parent's house. They're not home and this little one needs a big nap, she's getting cranky" – Arizona said squeezing Meredith's hand and showing her magical dimples while she smiled.


	10. Chapter 10: a very good reason

When they were leaving the diner, Meredith thought it was a great opportunity to show her feelings for the blonde, and specially her wishes regarding the job offer. She took Arizona's hand and walked in hand in hand, leaning her head into Arizona's shoulder.

"You know, you should consider this when you make your decision about the job offer. The coffee in DC is lame. And you might see Trump sometime." – Meredith teased.

"I definitely should take Trump in consideration at this decision!" – Arizona replied, laughing.

They arrived at Arizona's parents house and little Ellis was getting even more cranky and tired. Arizona carefully made a safe bed in the floor so she could sleep without falling down. The baby was fighting down her sleep but soon Arizona calmed her down by singing peacefully for her. That made Meredith's heart melt. The girl seems to have a connection with Arizona.

After putting her down on the small room near the guest room, Arizona came back to the living room to find a smiling Meredith.

"You make it looks so easy, you know?" – Meredith said, smiling.

"What?" – Arizona asked her.

"All of it. Putting Ellis to sleep, which usually is a hard task. Make my heart melt, which is even harder. You make so easy to want to build this kind of life with you" – Meredith confessed, with an unexpected loving voice that made Arizona put on a big smile on her face.

"Usually I'm the one people don't want to build anything together, so this means a lot to me. It really does." – Arizona said and pressed her lips against Meredith's.

"Do I win a kiss every time I say something nice?" – Meredith teased Arizona, talking softly while they were still kissing.

"Pretty much, yes." – Arizona answered, deepening the kiss until they were lying down at the couch.

The heat between the two of them was getting out of control and Meredith was already without her shirt on. When Arizona could get her consciousness back, she stopped making out and started to laugh.

"What? Did I do something wrong? What is it?" – Meredith asked, intrigued.

"No, absolutely not. I just feel really weird making out on my parents' couch like a horny teenager. We should do this the right way." – Arizona explained, dragging Meredith down to the guest room, where she was staying this week.

Meredith took Arizona's shirt off and her eyes seemed darker with desire. Arizona was really hot and Meredith didn't feel turned on like that for a really long time. They laid down and Arizona took Meredith's bra carefully, kissing down her neck and slowly until her breasts. The soft touch of Arizona's tongue in her nipple made Meredith moan louder than she intended. Arizona continued her kissing trail down the woman stomach until she unbuttoned her pants. She stared at Meredith's underpants for a few seconds, almost as she needed to remind herself that this wasn't a dream. She took Meredith's pants off and slowly started to kiss her thighs and dragging out her panties with her teeth. Meredith was begging Arizona to end her misery and couldn't wait even one more minute of that torture.

"Arizona, please! Please!" - Meredith begged.

Arizona then started her magic between Meredith's thighs, making the other woman moan with pleasure each second of that. Meredith was heavily wet and that itself made Arizona almost come without even touching herself. When she noticed that Meredith was almost coming, she changed the pace to make her wait a little longer. Meredith couldn't wait, she was desperate with pleasure. Arizona then placed two fingers inside of her and stimulated the clit with her magical tongue and Meredith came really quickly, screaming loud.

Pushing Arizona closer to her, Meredith seemed unable to talk, trying to catch her breath. That image made Arizona smile and place her lips on Meredith's ear.

"I think I might have lost the ability to walk, I feel weak. Oh my God, what was that?" – Meredith was speaking with her eyes closed and heavy breath.

"I hope that this weakness is good!" – Arizona replied, laughing.

"Oh, it's good, believe me. It's very good. Very, very good!" – Meredith answered, kissing the blonde.

They stayed close and in silence for a couple of minutes, caressing each other slowly and gently. Arizona noticed that Meredith was carrying some worry in her look. She knew Meredith had been with other women before, but that was a long time ago. She didn't even know if Meredith had sex with someone after Derek's death and maybe it all hit her at once.

"Are you ok?" – Arizona asked with the most peaceful voice that could exist in the world.

"I am." – Meredith replied, staring at those heavenly blue eyes in front of hers.

"Are you sure? You seem worried. I understand if you need some time, it might be still hard for you. And you don't have to do anything, you know that, right?" – Arizona tried to tranquilize Meredith.

"I'm a little worried, but I don't need time. It's not hard at all with you." – Meredith pointed.

"Do you want to talk about your worries?" – Arizona asked, truly concerned about what the other woman was feeling. She couldn't help but wanting to take good care of her.

"It's silly actually. It's not a big deal." – Meredith explained.

"If it's on your mind, then it is a big deal for me" – Arizona stated.

"I don't think I ever felt alive like that before, in sex. And I'm a little afraid that I won't be able to make you feel the same. I told you it was silly." – Meredith confessed, blushing a little bit.

"Babe, don't put the world on your shoulders. What make sex really great and alive are not only the 'mechanics', but the chemistry. The way your touch in my skin make me feel is more than I ever even imagined it was possible to feel. If you don't feel comfortable doing something right now, you don't have to do. We can be like that, holding each other. And kissing. I really like kissing you" – Arizona put her thoughts out loud and kissed Meredith on the lips.

"But I want to do it. I want to do everything with you. I just need you to be patient with my lack of ability." – Meredith explained, laughing.

Slowly she started to kiss Arizona and rolling to be on top of her. She started to play with her tongue on the blonde's left nipple while her hand was pressing the right breast. Arizona was curving closer to Meredith and biting her own lips.

Meredith spread Arizona's leg to find her wet, making Meredith forget about her inexperience and fucking the other woman hard. The harder Meredith placed her fingers inside of Arizona, the more she asked her to do. Meredith pressed her tongue against Arizona's clit while held her thighs so hard that was possible to find her fingernails marks afterwards.

Arizona came twice because Meredith couldn't stop fucking the blonde on the first time. When they finished, both women seemed tired and overwhelmed.

"Well, I think we could state that I'm the untrained one." – Arizona joked trying to even her breath and calm her beating heart.

"Stop mocking me!" – Meredith exclaimed.

"I'm not! I'm freaking serious! You're a superstar!" – Arizona exclaimed opening her eyes wider and then wrapping her arm around Meredith.

They stayed embraced for a while, breathing into each other's skin, like they have all the time of the world on their hands.

Arizona started to stir a bit, uncomfortable with the prosthetic on for so long. Meredith noticed and tried to help the blonde take it off, but Arizona stopped her.

"Uhm, that's ok, it will feel better soon" – Arizona said, a little embarrassed.

"It's bothering you, you should take if off a little bit. Are you uncomfortable with me helping you? Is that it?" – Meredith asked when she noticed the blonde blush a little.

"Knowing that I have one leg is one thing, and even looking at me without the fake leg. But having sex looking at it might be too much for now. And I don't blame you for that." – Arizona confessed.

"That's completely insane. It won't bother me at all. You're so beautiful and sexy and unreal with this smoking hot body, how can you even think something like that? Please, let me help you take it off?" – Meredith asked, kindly.

After a couple of hours of kissing and having amazing sex, they had to leave the bed to catch a crying Ellis that woke up on the room next to them.

While Meredith was picking her up, Arizona put her leg back on and prepared a bottle for the baby girl. She asked Meredith to let her feed Ellis and the baby seemed more and more comfortable with the blonde. Meredith took the chance and took a shower, allowing Arizona to spend some time with Ellis. The blonde also ordered some food that arrived 30 minutes later.

They both ate it while Ellis was playing on the ground. They took the girl to Arizona's bed and stayed there for hours, kissing and playing with the baby who was giggling all the time, pulling out those amazing dimples of Arizona.

"Damn, it'll be hard to get on the plane now." – Meredith confessed.

"I know, for me too. But I'll be back soon." – Arizona pointed out.

"Did you make a decision yet?" – Meredith asked without looking into Arizona's eyes, a little scared of her answer.

"Hey, look at me. Look at me, Mer." – Arizona asked. – "There are a couple of good reasons for me to accept this. But there are very good reasons for me to stay in Seattle, too." – Arizona stated, looking into Meredith's eyes.

"Am I one of them?" – Meredith asked in a serious ton, lifting her head up, placing it in her hand.

"You are. You're a very good reason, indeed." – Arizona replied, smiling.


	11. Chapter 11: see you tomorrow

Meredith arrived in Seattle around 9pm and went straight home, missing her older kids. Amelia had fed them already and Bailey was already sleeping, but Zola insisted to wait for her mom before going to bed.

Meredith knew that they would probably be already sleeping but was really excited to see Zola awake and waiting for her. After spending a time with her daughter, she took her to bed.

"Hey, how did it go?" – Amelia whispered on the doorway of Zola's room, trying to not wake up the kid.

"It was great! Really great! Thank you, for everything, Amelia. You have been so wonderful to me, I really appreciate." – Meredith answered, smiling.

"That's what sisters are for. But tell me, she isn't moving to DC then, right?" – Amelia asked, curiously.

"She said she has very good reasons to stay in Seattle." – Meredith quipped.

Meredith wished Amelia good night; she really needed to get some sleep after that marathon of flights and a small kid. Lying down in bed, she couldn't get her head away from Arizona and how amazing was their connection. The sex, that was always an important part of Meredith's life, was without a doubt mind blowing. But more important: the way Arizona made Meredith feel every time she opened up that magical smile. That feeling, the sensation of coming somewhere she could call home. Arizona felt like home and for Meredith that was priceless. She reached for her phone on the nightstand and texted Arizona:

 _Can't stop thinking of you. Good night, beautiful._

It was 3 hours later in DC, so Arizona was already sleeping. However, she woke up with the buzz sound of her phone and smiled seeing the text.

 _I was having a beautiful dream of you. It is certainly a good night. Sleep tight, babe._

The next morning Meredith wrapped up the kids at her car with Amelia and went to the hospital. Maggie was finishing her night shift and spent some time playing with the kids at daycare. Noticing a bright Meredith, she asked:

"Someone had a good night, apparently." – Maggie said playfully.

"I did, Maggie. I actually did." – Meredith replied, smiling.

It was a long day with lots of surgery and emergencies due to an accident in a movie theater. It was almost 8pm when Meredith finally could sit down and rest a little at the attending's lounge when Karev entered.

"Hey, haven't seen you these days. Are you ok?" – he asked.

"I am now. I think we need to talk, Alex. But I'm not sure if I want to do that right now" – Meredith explained.

"Is it about Arizona?" – Alex asked, with a calm voice.

"Yes. But what you said to me the other day made me act like a jerk, so I'm not gonna let you do that again. I love you and I really want to share my happiness with you, but if you can't be happy for me, then I don't want to say anything." – Meredith confessed but using a firm ton in her voice.

Alex cleared his throat and sighed before he started to speak.

"Look, Mer, you've got this all wrong. If you're happy then I'm happy, of course. What I needed to say is that she is my friend too, someone that I care too much. I just wanted you to give it a thought. If you're sure that's what you want, then I'm your number one supporter!"

"You should have given me more credit anyway. I'm not that irresponsible, Alex. I can be a lot of things, but I certainly care about people. And I care about Arizona. I like her, a lot." – Meredith said with a slight smile on her face when she spoke Arizona's name.

One more day: that was the amount of time remaining until Arizona flight back to Seattle. She would catch a late night flight and has the next day off at the hospital, so she could rest from the flight experience. Meredith didn't have anymore day offs this week, though. But she really needed to see Arizona the sooner she could.

After a 8-hour surgery, Meredith left the OR and went to an on call room to call Arizona.

 _Hey!_ – Arizona answered the call with a happy voice.

 _Hey, how are you?_

 _I'm fine, and you? How are things at home?_

 _They're ok. I miss you._

 _I miss you too. But I will arrive tomorrow morning and we can arrange to see each other at night, after your shift._

 _Yes, that would be good. But I actually wanted to ask you another thing._

 _Sure, what is it?_

 _I know you'll be tired and stressed from the flight, but would you come to my house instead? Just to lay down with me? I could really use that in my day._

 _But I'll be in Seattle around 4am, it would be almost time for you to wake up and go to work._

 _I would still have an hour or two to sleep with you next to me. I understand if that's too much and unreasonable. But at this point you've noticed I'm not the most reasonable person._

 _You're definitely not, indeed. But that's not too much to ask, I'm just afraid that I would do you more harm by waking you up than good._

 _In what world do you think that be woken up by you would cause me more harm than good? Can you come here, please? I will leave a spare key under the mat and you can just enter by yourself. Ok?_

 _Ok, babe. I will._

 _Thank you, Arizona. Have a good night, ok?_

 _You too. See you tomorrow._


	12. Chapter 12: sisters' rules

The flight back was nothing like the previous. A lot of turbulence and people freaking out, which was terrifying Arizona in consequence. She was praying that nobody would need a doctor because then she would have to give assistance when she could really use some instead.

When it landed, she got relieved to be alive and in all pieces. She went to the pick up her luggage and got into a cab straight to Meredith's house. On the way there, she had second thoughts about whether or not she should go to Meredith's house that early in the morning. Mostly because of Meredith having to wake up soon to go to work, but also because she might bump into Amelia or Maggie and it would be extremely awkward.

But the thought of being able to hold Meredith and kiss her again was infinitely more pleasant than sleeping alone.

At Meredith's front door she lifted the mat to found the spare key waiting for her. She opened the door in silence and got inside the house, trying to make absolutely no sound. She took off her shoes and grabbed her suitcase along with her, getting up the stairs towards Meredith's room, that was semi open.

She opened the door slowly, and then closed it, quietly putting her suitcase, shoes and purse in a corner. Arizona stopped for a while to stare at the beautiful woman sleeping right there in the bed.

 _God, she's so beautiful._ – Arizona thought.

Then, she made her way to the bed and got under the sheets, spooning Meredith from behind and whispering in her ear:

"I'm here, finally."

Meredith started to stir and turned around to face Arizona and her heavenly blue eyes.

"You're here. Finally." – Meredith said, half asleep and placed her head on Arizona's neck, falling back to her sleep.

An hour and half later, the alarm went off and both women opened their eyes a little bit confused. It seemed like only five minutes and they definitely didn't want to wake up.

Meredith turned it off and looked at Arizona, taking away a hair strand of her face. She waited too much for that, and now she was right there, in her bed, staring back at her.

"Good morning" – Meredith said right after kissing Arizona gently.

"Good morning, indeed" – Arizona replied, kissing her back.

"How was your flight?" – Meredith asked.

"Not so good, but I don't wanna waste our last minutes in this bed talking about planes, please" – Arizona whispered, kissing Meredith on the cheek.

"I wish I didn't have to work today. I miss you so bad!" – Meredith confessed, making Arizona turn into a sad face.

She also wish they could stay together all day, but as a doctor she was an expert in getting used to these hard goodbyes in bed. It wasn't the easiest thing to make their schedules coincide.

"I wish you didn't have to go, too. But we can see each other tonight. If you want to, of course" – Arizona pointed.

"Of course I want to. I just need to check with my sisters if they can babysit tonight" – Meredith explained.

"I can come over if you need to be at home. I don't mind." – Arizona said, kissing Meredith on the lips, this time a longer and heated kiss.

As they said goodbye at the door, Maggie almost catch the both women kissing.

"Who was leaving? Is Amelia already going to the hospital?" – Maggie asked, when saw Meredith closing the door.

"Uh, actually no. She's here. She's off today" – Meredith answered, knowing that this wouldn't be enough for Maggie to end the conversation.

"Then who was that?" – Maggie asked intrigued.

"Ok, I need to tell you something. Actually, both of you, but I'll wait for tonight so I can talk to you and Amelia together" – Meredith tried to escape her sister.

"You're gonna make me wait all day to let me know? You can't do that! It's against the rules!" – Maggie exclaimed.

"What rules?" – Meredith asked, confused.

"Sisters' rules!" – Maggie answered angrily.

"You didn't have any sisters before me, how do you know about sisters' rules?" – Meredith asked her, laughing.

"Apparently I'm a fast learner. Can we please go to Amelia's room and have this conversation before we get to work?" – Maggie said already going up the stairs.

"Amelia, Mer want to talk to us!" – Maggie said in a loud voice to wake her up.

"Do you both know that this is my first day off in seven days, right? SEVEN DAYS!" – Amelia complained.

"I told her we could do this tonight, but apparently she made up a sisters' rule that forbid me to do so." – Meredith explained.

"I didn't made it up!" – Maggie retorted.

"Can you both please finish this quickly? I am really looking forward to come back to sleep." – Amelia said, impatiently.

"Ok. Well, the person who left this morning was Arizona." – Meredith said.

"Robbins? Dr. Robbins? Why? Are the kids ok?" – Maggie asked, worried.

"Yes, the kids are fine. She came back this morning from DC and I asked her to come here" – Meredith replied, calmly, hoping that her sister would follow the conversation.

"Why? Am I missing something? Did you need a doctor? Are you sick? You have two doctor living here with you!" – Maggie exclaimed, confused.

"Jesus, aren't you supposed to be the smartest of us?" – Amelia said to Maggie, noticing her sister confusion.

Meredith couldn't help but laugh while watching the confused look on Maggie's face.

"What? I-I don't understand. I thought that was a date or something leaving the house, that's why I asked!" – Maggie tried to explain her confusion.

"Exactly." – Meredith pointed.

"Exactly what?" – Maggie asked, still confused.

"Oh my God, Maggie! She is the date, Arizona and Mer are dating and that's what she's been trying to say. Got it now?" – Amelia exclaimed.

"Oh my God." – Maggie said, intrigued. "Oh my GOD! You're dating!"

"We are. I mean, I don't know if we can call it dating, we didn't have a proper date yet." – Meredith explained. - "But I wanted to tell you guys, officially, beforehand."

"Well, I already knew it, so can I go back to sleep, please?" – Amelia asked.

"How did you know before me?" – Maggie asked a little revolt.

"I figure it out, which is something that clearly you wouldn't be able to do it alone" – Amelia teased Maggie.

"Are you guys ok with this? I mean, I want her to spend time here in the house, but I wanted this to be comfortable for you too" – Meredith explained to her sisters.

"Of course it's ok, Mer! I'm sorry for sounding surprise, I was just caught off guard, that's all! I'm happy for you. Wait, now I get it why you were so upset in the meeting with Bailey the other day" – Maggie said, getting the puzzle together.

Amelia and Meredith exchanged looks and laughed.

"Well, I love Arizona, I'm happy to have her around" – Amelia pointed.

"Good. That's good. But can you please keep that to yourselves for now? I don't know when we are going to tell people we're dating." – Meredith asked.

Maggie and Amelia nodded yes and Amelia went back to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13: I thought you'd never ask

The next day was still getting started but Arizona's pager didn't stop buzzing for the whole morning. Two pregnant women on a bike-car accident and a premature baby in ICU with very poor conditions to survive got the blonde out of home 3 hours before her shift. She was asking the staff to take the pregnant from the bike to the OR, while the car one was stable.

Meredith arrived with the kids and Maggie took them to daycare. Meredith was waiting for the elevator, and when it opened with Arizona inside, she opened up a huge smile. It was really good to have this as her first vision in the morning.

"Good morning, beautiful" – Arizona greeted her, smiling.

"Good morning, you." – Meredith replied, and kiss her on the lips since there wasn't anyone else in the elevator. "Where are you heading to?"

"OR, bike and car accident, two pregnant. I'm here since 5am" – Arizona explained.

"Poor thing. Page me if you need any help or if you have time to lunch" – Meredith said, leaving the elevator at the lounge's floor.

"Will do. Good work, babe" – Arizona said, winking at her.

At the OR, Arizona was fighting hard to keep the mother and baby alive, but the injuries were far extended and the mother couldn't make it. Arizona managed to save the baby, though. These kind of deaths always hit her, she couldn't help but remember Callie's accident and how close she almost lost her and Sofia that day.

After checking on the newborn and on the other premature who was beginning to show some improvement, she went down to the attending's lounge looking for Meredith. She could really use some comfort now.

Meredith was sitting there reviewing some charts when Arizona entered.

"Hey, are you ok? You look sad" – Meredith asked.

"The mother died. Baby survived, though" – Arizona said, sitting on the chair right next to Meredith's.

"I'm sorry, honey. Is there anything I can do?" – Meredith asked, holding the blonde's hand.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Would you sit down at that couch and let me rest on your shoulder for a while?" – Arizona asked, with watered eyes.

Meredith immediately got up and took Arizona's hand, guiding her to the couch. She wrapped her arm around Arizona and patted her arm, leaning her cheek against the blonde's head. They remained like that for a while, until Arizona spoke.

"Would you go out on a date with me? A real first date?" – Arizona asked.

"I thought you would never ask" – Meredith joked.

A few days passed by and the both women were pretty busy at work, managing to find some time to kiss and make out in the hospital, trying not to draw attention to them. They slept together a few times leaving each other's house early to go to the hospital. Until now Arizona haven't stayed at Meredith's house properly, but already bumped into Maggie or Amelia a time or two.

Now it's Saturday and they finally have the next day off, so they would have their first date tonight. Meredith was nervous like a teenager before the high school prom, having no option but to let Maggie and Amelia help her out.

"I don't like this dress, it makes me look old!" – Meredith exclaimed, tossing the dress on the floor.

"You wore this dress two weeks ago!" – Amelia said.

"Yes, and that's when I realized it makes me look old." – Meredith retorted.

"Ok, how about this one?" – Maggie showed up with another option from her sister's wardrobe.

"This color sucks!" – Amelia pointed.

"Amelia, not helping!" – Maggie complained.

"Guys, please, Arizona will arrive in 20 minutes and my hair looks like a bird's nest. I need full-force help now!" – Meredith begged.

"Ok. Mer, breathe. You're nervous. It's actually kind of cute." – Amelia joked.

"And how about this one?" – Maggie pulled out a black silk overall that made Amelia blurt an excited "wow".

"Guess we found the one!" – Amelia said, with a smile on her face.

Meredith agreed with the choice and finished to get her make up ready while her sisters were downstairs keeping company to Arizona that had just arrived.


	14. Chapter 14: the talk

Arizona was wearing a gorgeous pair of silk black pants with a red top that matched her red lipstick. She was stunning and clearly nervous when she saw Maggie and Amelia at the door together, with weird smiles, like they were the parents of the teenager going to the prom.

"Hello, Arizona! Oh my God you're looking hot!" – Amelia greeted her friend.

"Oh, uau, Arizona, you're gorgeous! Welcome, please, have a sit, Meredith will be downstairs in a minute!" – Maggie said, dragging her to the couch.

The three of them were sitting in the living room couch staring at each other, Amelia and Maggie with weird exaggerated smiles, and Arizona trying not to look scared about that situation.

"So, do you want something to drink?" – Amelia asked Arizona, to break the ice.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. You guys don't have to keep me company, it's really fine." – Arizona pointed, trying to be sweet.

"Oh, that's not a problem, we're actually enjoying this." – Maggie replied, being supported by Amelia.

"Yeah, totally. We're totally enjoying you and Meredith dating. It's amazing!" – Amelia stated.

"Totally amazing." – Maggie repeated.

"This is the part when you're going to tell me that I'm dead if I hurt your sister, right?" – Arizona asked, with a half smile on her face.

"That's a way to put it, yeah." – Amelia confirmed.

"I won't. I won't hurt her, I promise." – Arizona said with honesty, letting her dimples appear when she smiled.

Right after the talk between them, Arizona looked to the stairs when she heard some steps and her jaw fell with the sight of a stunning Meredith. Maggie and Amelia looked at the stairs too, seeing Arizona fascinated and they smiled seeing their sister looking so beautiful and happy. Arizona walked towards Meredith and took her hand, still unable to say a word, looking deep into her sparkly eyes.

Meredith just smiled and held the blonde's hand.

"You look absolutely... fantastic." – Arizona said with a goofy pause to emphasize how amazing she was.

"You are incredibly gorgeous yourself." – Meredith returned the compliment, kissing her on the right cheek.

"Guys you look so beautiful!" – Amelia said with an almost tremble voice and Meredith looked at her intrigued.

"Are they acting like proud embarrassing parents this whole time?" – Meredith asked Arizona, trying to apologize.

"I think they're very proud parents and maybe they will demand photos, so we better get going!" – Arizona joked as they left the house and entered at the cab that was waiting for them already.

"I thought you were driving, we could have used my car!" – Meredith pointed.

"I didn't want any of us to drive because I thought we could have some wine tonight" – Arizona explained, taking Meredith's hand closer to her.

"Where are we going?" – Meredith asked, smiling.

"You'll see" – Arizona replied.

The cab stopped in front of what seems like an old building. The street looked empty and Meredith had an intrigued look on her face, unsure of what Arizona has chosen for they to go.

Leaving the car, Arizona extended her hand to Meredith's and couldn't stop smiling. Holding hands, they started to walk a few steps away where Meredith could see a little blue door not totally closed.

"Are you sure we are on the right place?" – Meredith asked, still unsure.

"I am one hundred percent sure. Ready?" – Arizona asked.

Meredith nodded yes and they slowly pushed the small blue door and entered in a kind of parallel universe. The place on the inside looked like a hotel from the 20's, but it was actually a jazz bar.

Meredith looked amazed and held Arizona closer to whisperer "thank you" in her ear.

"Wait 'til you see the best part!" – Arizona said excitedly.

They took the stairs up to an exclusive rooftop that had a small platform with lots of cushions and a table with 2 empty glasses and a closed bottle of wine.

Arizona opened the wine and served for both of them.

"What is this place? It's amazing!" – Meredith exclaimed, completely amazed with the view.

"Well, I did my homework. I thought it would be pleasant to have some wine and look at this beautiful sky, with some privacy" – Arizona explained, while she slowly started to kiss Meredith.

"You're amazing, you know?" – Meredith confessed.

They sat down on the platform and cuddled for a long time, talking about many things. Meredith confessed that she has dreams about Derek sometimes and she always wake up feeling guilty. Arizona tried to tranquilize her saying that it's expected, given the fact that he was her soulmate.

"I'm sorry, this is not the best subject for us to talk on our first date" – Meredith apologized.

"Don't be silly. It doesn't bother me talking about Derek. He was a great friend and a good man. I will always respect his place in your life" – Arizona stated.

"Do you miss being in a relationship?" – Meredith asked.

"I miss being in a good relationship, yes." – Arizona answered and Meredith knew she meant something other than the chaotic relationship she had with Callie, at least in the end of it.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Derek and me were pretty damaged in the end, too. I don't know if we would've remained married if the accident haven't happened." – Meredith stated, pulling out some intrigued look on Arizona's face, who obviously didn't know about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I didn't know." – Arizona said, patting Meredith's back – "But you know, this is something that you couldn't possibly know. Maybe things would end, maybe they would get better. The most important thing is to remember the good times and the good memories you two created together"

"Yeah, I know. You're right. Now, let's talk about how wonderful my girlfriend is setting up this heavenly date for us" – Meredith said and immediately froze realizing that she used the word girlfriend unexpectedly – "Uhm, damn it, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that, it came out wrong!" – She tried to apologize, feeling embarrassed.

"What came out wrong? It isn't a good date, then?" – Arizona teased.

"Stop it, don't make me feel worse." – Meredith replied, blushing.

"Well, I think that this implies we should have the talk" – Arizona stated, using the sweetest ton of voice she could.

"I hate the talk" – Meredith muttered.

"Everybody hates the talk, but it's knocking on our door now" – Arizona said trying not to laugh of Meredith's concerned face.

"Ok, let's have the talk, then" – Meredith agreed.

"So… are we girlfriends?" – Arizona asked, tracing her finger on Meredith's hand.

"I don't know. Are we?" – Meredith seemed more and more embarrassed.

"Ok, I'll rephrase it, because you seemed to miss your chance here. So… do you want to be my girlfriend, Meredith Grey? – Arizona asked, now smiling and looking into Meredith's eyes.

"Yes, I do." – Meredith said with a grin and sparkly eyes.


	15. Chapter 15: she is a romantic one

They left the nice rooftop a few hours later and headed to Arizona's house. Amelia and Maggie were looking after the kids and they could have the whole night for themselves, since DeLuca was on call all weekend.

They passionately made love with each other and fell asleep cuddled and naked. Meredith was a major fan of cuddles and Arizona couldn't complain about it, since she enjoyed being wrapped around her girlfriend.

When the morning arrived, Arizona opened her eyes and smiled when saw Meredith sleeping soundly and beautifully by her side. She got up quietly, put her hair up in a ponytail and reached for an extra large long sleeve white shirt and started to button up it while was getting down to the kitchen to set up some breakfast for them.

She made coffee and some toasts with strawberry jam, which was actually Sofia's favorite, so Arizona always had it in the fridge.

She went up to her bedroom with the breakfast tray and found Meredith waking up still a little dazed and sleepy. Meredith smiled at Arizona right away.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" – Arizona said with her usual good humor.

"Good morning, girlfriend" – Meredith quipped. – "You look really hot on this shirt, for the record"

"Well, you look awesome on this no-shirt style" – Arizona said kissing Meredith on the lips – "I've made us some breakfast"

"God, you spoil me" – Meredith exclaimed.

"Is this a complaint?" – Arizona asked, intrigued.

"Not at all, I love it!" – Meredith answered, kissing Arizona with a mouth full of toast.

The lazy Sunday was the perfect opportunity for them to bond even more, spending their time between kisses, making love and being in bed all day. It was a raining day, so they wouldn't have anything else better to do anyway.

When it was almost 7pm, Meredith announced that she should go home.

"Already? Why?" – Arizona asked, with a sad face and voice.

"You know I have 3 kids, right? This sad face trick doesn't work with me." – Meredith pointed, laughing.

"It's not a trick, I really wanted you to stay!" – Arizona explained, while kissing the girlfriend slowly.

"I wanted to stay with you, too, but I need to check on the kids. I feel a little guilty leaving them with Maggie and Amelia all weekend." – Meredith explained.

"I know, you're right. Maybe dinner this week?" – Arizona asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Maybe dinner all week" – Meredith suggested, kissing Arizona – "You know, that face works, though" – she pointed, referring to the "biting her lips" face.

"Good to know" – Arizona replied, kissing Meredith's neck and going down to her chest.

They had sex another time before Meredith left Arizona's house. When she arrived home, her sisters were waiting her to tell all about the date.

"Don't you guys have anything else better to do than gossip about my life?" – Meredith asked, smiling.

"Not really." – Maggie retorted.

"C'mon, spill it out!" – Amelia exclaimed.

"Well, it all went great. Really, really great. She's kind of something, you know?" – Meredith said, with a melted voice.

"Where did you go? Sex was great?" – Amelia asked, excited.

"Amelia!" – Meredith scolded her sister – "I'm not going to tell you about my sex life"

"Oh, c'mon Mer! We all share our sex lives with each other. We're curious to know if she meets the expectation!" – Maggie supported Amelia.

"What expectations?" – Meredith asked

"Ah, you know, she's hot and funny and ridiculously smart. We all wonder if she is as good in bed as we expect her to be!" – Maggie answered while Amelia nodded.

"Why do you expect anything from my girlfriend? Stop it! Stop expecting!" – Meredith ordered, intrigued.

"Wow, wait, girlfriend?" – Amelia asked, laughing – "I guess this already tell us something"

"Yes, we're officially dating. We're girlfriend and, well, girlfriend. We're girlfriends" – Meredith stated, with a lovely smile on her face.

"You seem so happy, Mer! That's awesome!" – Maggie exclaimed, almost emotional.

"But can you at least tell us what you did on your first date, besides making official your relationship status?" – Amelia insisted.

"Well, she took me to this crazy, secret jazz bar downtown, and somehow managed to get reservations for us exclusively on their rooftop. We had wine, and a Seattle view just for us. It was incredible!" – Meredith told her sisters, who seemed to be positively surprised.

"She's a romantic one, then!" – Maggie pointed.

"Yes, I think she is. She made me breakfast today, in bed. She is this person" – Meredith said, smiling.


	16. Chapter 16: the chief

At the hospital, they both bumped into each other leaving their respective ORs. Meredith had an emergency surgery in a woman that fell down from a 3rd floor window, while Arizona operated on a pregnant woman who was fighting to extend her pregnancy until 7 months, at least. Unfortunately, Arizona had to perform a C-section in order to maintain both mother and baby alive.

"Hey, I saw you had to operate the mom. How did it go?" – Meredith asked, when she saw Arizona taking off her cap of her head.

"It went well, thankfully. Mom and baby are doing fine, but the little one is still too small, we'll have to see it through the day" – Arizona answered, while giving Meredith a kiss on the cheek.

"Have you told anyone yet?" – Meredith whispered.

"About us? I haven't. Have you?" – Arizona returned the question.

"My sisters, of course, and Alex had figured it out before, but I haven't told him officially yet" – Meredith explained.

"Do you think we should tell Bailey?" – Arizona asked.

"Why? We're not residents. The rule doesn't apply for us. Does it?" – Meredith asked, intrigued.

"I don't know, but I feel like I am doing something wrong when I look to Bailey and she has no idea. She's kind of has this power over me, it's actually pretty weird." – Arizona stated, almost talking to herself.

"We can tell her. I think we should out us already" – Meredith pointed, smiling to the blonde.

"We don't need to send a memo outing us, but maybe it's for the best if we tell Bailey and Webber. He would feel betrayed if we don't tell him, don't you think?" – Arizona suggested.

"I supposed so. Ok, we're telling them. Maybe at lunch? How is your schedule?" – Meredith asked

"So far that was my only surgery today, so I'll probably can make it to lunch. I need to see the baby in ICU now, page me later?" – Arizona said, walking away.

"I will" – Meredith replied, entering the elevator.

At the ICU, Arizona was checking on the newborn she delivered earlier, when Karev entered, handing her a chart from a patient he consulted while she was in DC.

"You should take a look in this" – Alex said.

"I thought you said his surgery went fine, what happened? These numbers are too high for a 4 year old." – Arizona said, with a concerned voice.

"Yeah, it went just fine, he got discharged the next day with perfect labs. Maybe the mother didn't give him the meds? It's the only explanation" – Alex said, concerned too.

"Have you talked to the mom?" – Arizona asked.

"No, I just got the labs. Do you have any other idea about what could have happened?" – Alex asked, trying to figure it out.

"He might has some auto immune disease that we don't know yet, we should run some more labs and take him to a CT right away. Will you talk to the mother?" – Arizona asked him, while was typing the new lab requests on the tablet.

"I will, I'll meet you in CT" – Alex said.

While Arizona was waiting for the CT to begin, she tried to calm the little boy using the microphone on the room.

"Joshua, you're doing great. The exam won't take long, but I need you to be really quiet and still so we can get it over soon, ok? Pretend you're hiding from somebody inside there"

Alex entered the room right after she started to run the image again, since the boy was agitated before.

"Hey, how did it go with his mother?" – Arizona asked.

"She said he took all the antibiotics these days. Can't tell if she's lying or not" – Alex answered, a little disappointed.

"Well, we're about to see" – Arizona pointed, looking at the computer screen.

"How are you? You ok?" – Alex asked, and she knew immediately he was talking about Meredith.

"I know you know. And I'm fine, thank you." – Arizona answered with a smile.

"Good. It's good." – He replied when the image appeared on the screen. – "Look, right there. Is that a mass?"

"Damn it. It is. It didn't show in his films before?" – Arizona asked.

"Not this one. Only the small one on his bowel. Damn it. I think it's spreading" – Alex pointed, concerned.

"He needs surgery, stat. We should check for more, because if he hasn't yet, he will have soon, it seems a fast cancer" – Arizona pointed, while she was entering the room where the boy was lying to help him out of the machine.

After prepping him to surgery, Arizona and Alex were scrubbing when she looked at him and said with her sweet voice.

"You know, I'm really happy, with her. It would mean a lot to me if you lose this concerned face and be happy for me too."

Alex laughed and sighed, before he replied Arizona:

"I'm happy for you. Both of you. But you two should take care of each other, ok? You both need it."

"We will"- Arizona replied with a big smile on her face.

After the long surgery, Arizona and Meredith crossed paths at the hospital.

"Hey, I've paged you a couple of times, Wilson told me you were in surgery" – Meredith said to Arizona.

"I'm sorry, I left you a message on your cell. Four year old with metastasis, took us a long time" – Arizona stated.

"Oh, that's bad. Do you want to have the Bailey conversation another day?" – Meredith asked.

"No, we should get it over with. Where is she?" – Arizona asked.

"In her office, I guess" – Meredith answered.

They could see Bailey inside of her office from the glass window and took a deep breath before knocking on the door, receiving a "come in" answer from Bailey.

"I'm sorry Chief, do you have a minute?" – Arizona asked.

"It's the only minute I have, so be quick." – Bailey answered without looking at the women.

"Ok, we need to tell you something" – Arizona said, sitting at the chair in front of Bailey, with Meredith following her behind.

"We? Oh, haven't seen you Grey. What happened?" – Bailey asked, now looking at them both.

"Do you tell her or I do?" – Arizona asked Meredith.

"Robbins, you used more than 2 minutes so far. Spill it out!" – Bailey said, impatiently.

"We're dating. Arizona and I. We're dating" – Meredith said and Arizona soon complemented.

"And we wanted you to know from us, before the word gets spread in here"

"Wait a minute. You two are dating? With each other?" – Bailey asked sounding confused.

"Yes, we are. Is that a problem Chief?" – Meredith asked.

"No at all, as long as you two keep your personal business apart from the hospital. I don't want to deal with relationship issues between the two of my best doctors in here. Am I clear?" – Bailey asked, looking serious at them.

"Absolutely" – they answered at the same time.

"Good. Now leave because I have work to do." – Bailey ordered, while looking back to her documents.

Before they walked out of her office, Bailey called them again:

"Doctors!"

"Yes?" – Arizona answered, turning back to face Bailey.

"Congratulations." – Bailey said, with a slight smile on her face, making the two of them smile back.


	17. Chapter 17:I know you well enough by now

**Hi everyone! I really would like to know if you want that story to go on. I am receiving some attacks on PM and reviews complaining about my English and saying that I'm wasting your time by posting more chapters. My only intention is to have fun creating a story about two characters that I really love, but if it's really hard for you to read it, then I can end the story earlier. Just let me know and please let's try to be kind to each other. This website is supposed to be a way of entertainment and not a battle field. There's absolutely no need to attack the authors, you can choose not to read the stories and live your life peacefully. Have a great week! :)**

* * *

Meredith was trying to cook something on the oven and to keep Ellis from crying at the same time, not succeeding in both situations. Tonight would be the first time Arizona would come to Meredith's so the whole family could have dinner together, including the kids. The only thing was: Meredith was a disaster in the kitchen and she started to freak out when she realized that in less than 3 hours everybody would be sitting at the table waiting for any food. And so far, the only thing she had set up was the wine.

She needed help, desperately. That's when she decided to call Amelia.

M: _Are you getting home already? Please tell me you are._

A: _Not really, I'm at the hospital for at least one hour more. Why?_

M: _Amelia, I can't do it. I just can't!_

A: _Hey, calm down! It's just a dinner! Don't get this runaway feeling from Arizona over a family dinner. Please!_

M: _No, you idiot. I can't do dinner! I can't cook! Things are burning and Ellis won't stop crying, I'm this close to lose my mind. You guys should be here with me. Cooking!_

A: _I thought Maggie was there! I can't cook either, I'm more of a host person. Call Maggie, I gotta go now._

 _Useless._ Meredith thought. Maggie's phone was off, so she was running out of options. Maybe she would just call it off and take Arizona to dinner in a restaurant where people know how to cook properly. She lived almost her whole life eating take over or whatever was left in the kitchen. When she lived with Izzie, she was the one who loved to cook. Then Callie. Callie would be a great option, if only she wasn't Arizona's ex-wife and hasn't move away without ever getting in touch with her friends. Callie was definitely not a good option after all, although she was good at cooking.

With the phone in hands, ready to call the dinner off Meredith heard the front door and it was Maggie.

"Thank God you're here. I was going to call dinner off right now!" – Meredith exclaimed.

"No, why? I'm so looking forward to this dinner tonight!" – Maggie confessed.

"Because your cell is off, I can't cook, nothing is the way it's supposed to be. I'm a terrible girlfriend!" – Meredith sighed.

"My phone died, I'm sorry. Well, I can cook and as a matter of fact I'm a great cook, so I got it. You can set the table and maybe put some music on?" – Maggie suggested.

An hour later Amelia arrived and couldn't resist the smell on the house.

"Dear lord, what the hell smells so good in here?" – Amelia exclaimed.

"Maggie is a master chef and she's saving my ass!" – Meredith pointed.

The three sisters were in the kitchen talking and laughing, Maggie was almost finishing the risotto, since the beef Meredith tried to make was completely burnt in the oven. They heard the doorbell and Meredith went there to answer it.

"Hey, you look beautiful!" – Meredith greeted Arizona, who gave her a bottle of wine.

"You too, babe. Here, I brought some wine, even though I don't know if we're going to drink since Amelia can't, but I didn't want to come empty handed." – Arizona stated.

"We can drink, of course. Thank you. Let me take your coat. The kids are playing in here and Maggie is finishing the dinner" – Meredith said, kissing the blonde right after.

Arizona went to the kitchen to say hello to Amelia and Maggie and was impressed by the lovely smell from the food.

"Oh my God, it smells delicious in here" – Arizona said, while was hugging Maggie

"Yeah, who knew? Maggie is a cooking wizard!" – Amelia exclaimed.

A while later they were all sitting at the table, including the kids, who seemed to enjoy Arizona a lot. She had a way with the kids and knew exactly what kind of games they would enjoy, or even the right stories to tell and watch their faces change with amusement. Bailey seemed to be the most fond of her, and had a little tantrum when was his bedtime. He only agreed to go when Arizona offered to put him to bed.

She got back a few minutes later and found Meredith smiling at her, melted by how much her son enjoyed her girlfriend.

"I guess Bailey found his new favorite person now" – Amelia joked

"He usually is the easiest of all, I didn't understand it why he was so angry tonight!" – Maggie stated.

"I think Bailey has a crush on you!" – Meredith teased Arizona.

"I'm the new person in this house, kids have this moments. They like the new. He'll probably won't be that into me tomorrow" – Arizona stated, kissing Meredith while sitting next to her at the couch.

* * *

Almost two months had past now and their relationship was getting better and better. Meredith rarely felt like running away when something went not as planned, while Arizona was feeling worthy and like her past was, in fact, on the past. The kids were completely in love with Arizona. Ellis preferred the blonde's voice when it was time to sing to sleep. Even in the middle of the night, she would feel calm and relaxed if Arizona was the one picking her up from the crib and singing lullabies.

In the meantime, Arizona's prediction about Bailey stopping care about her once she's no longer the news in the house couldn't be more wrong. The boy was absolutely connected with her since day 1. His eyes shine every time she comes and he even entered Meredith's room in the middle of the night to sleep cuddled with Arizona. The blonde was thrilled with those kids and enjoying each and every moment with them.

Zola, now with 7 and half years old, was the most difficult one, but it wasn't because of Arizona, but jealousy of her mother. She was a good kid, polite and sweet, most of the time, but some days were harder on her and she would make an effort to stay mad and oddly quiet.

Arizona knew exactly what she was feeling, since Sofia has the same age and frequently acted like that with her, Callie and Penny. Since Callie didn't return any of Meredith's calls even before they started dating, Sofia and Zola had stopped talking to each other as well. Once Arizona was staying more at Meredith's and constantly call Sofia from there, she could put her daughter and Zola in touch again, which made things a little easy for her and for Meredith's older kid.

Now Arizona was about to face a difficult moment herself. It was almost Thanksgiving and as arranged with Callie, Sofia would spend the holiday with Arizona in Seattle. She would have to tell her daughter about her new relationship and, knowing how kids are, she knew that it would be better if she told Callie herself.

She wasn't worried about her ex-wife reaction, since they didn't have anything else to solve between them. But Meredith and Callie were once great friends and it could be a big shock to the brunette. There wasn't any comfortable scenario where things would sound a bit better, so Arizona would only have to plan when she would tell Callie.

After the long shift that kept Arizona in the OR for more than 12 hours straight, she went to Meredith's house, because they both would have the next day off together and were planning to spend it with the kids in Seattle Aquarium. Lying down in bed, Meredith closed the book she started reading while waiting for Arizona to arrive and gave her girlfriend a long and passionate kiss.

"Hmmm I was dying to kiss you all day! Our schedules have been so busy these days I feel like I haven't seen you for months!" – Meredith said, holding the blonde's hand.

"Tell me about it. I've missed you so much today! How was your day?" – Arizona asked.

"A little more calm than the rest of the week, thank God. I bet yours not so much, right?" – Meredith asked.

"Yes, not calm at all. My leg is killing me today, I was standing for so long on the OR that I was pretty sure I could fall down at any moment" – Arizona stated, trying to massage her left thigh, right above the cut.

"I'm sorry, honey. Should we cancel the aquarium tomorrow then? It will be exhausting for you to walk with those little monsters all day!" – Meredith suggested.

"No way! I've been looking forward for this day the whole week. I'll wake up better, don't worry. But there's something I need to discuss with you, I don't want to do it without telling you" – Arizona said with a serious tone that made Meredith look concerned.

"Of course, what is it? Is everything ok?" – Meredith asked, holding Arizona's hand.

"Well, you know Sofia's coming to Thanksgiving, right? And since she's coming, I will tell her in person about us. But I really feel that I should tell Callie first, because Sofia will talk and it would be weird for Callie to hear that from our daughter. But I needed to tell you first because you and Callie are… " – Arizona was interrupted by Meredith.

"Me and Callie are no longer friends, she made her choice by leaving me with her silence. But yes, I think it would be better if you tell Callie instead of letting Sofia make the announcement. But are you ok with that?" – Meredith asked, still sounding and looking concerned.

"Me? I'm fine, sure. Why?" – Arizona asked, confused.

"I don't know. Are you worried? Afraid of Callie's reaction?" – Meredith asked and now her voice was clearly lower and sad.

"Not at all. Callie's reaction is no longer my problem just like my love life isn't her problem too. I just don't want her interrogating my daughter about it, so I'm doing this for Sofia's sake, actually. And because if she and Penny broke up and she started dating someone else, that Sofia would meet and live with, I would like to know too. We share custody of a seven year old girl that already had to struggle with a lot of things, so we should always think about her well being." – Arizona stated, trying to ease Meredith's mind.

"Yes, of course. You both should put Sofia first, always" – Meredith said, stirring to find a comfortable position to sleep.

"Are you ok? You sound worried." – Arizona asked, knowing that Meredith was horrible at sharing her emotions but also terrible at hiding them.

"No, I'm fine." – Meredith said with her eyes closed.

"Honey." – Arizona called her. – "Honey, look at me, please?"

Meredith opened her eyes and looked to Arizona, who was with a slight smile on her face. Arizona took Meredith's hand closer and kissed them.

"You know that I know you well enough by now, right? I'm pretty sure you're worried about something and I would love to help you if that's possible" – Arizona said, with a sweet whispering voice.

"It's just that… you know…." – Meredith started to say but Arizona couldn't understand where she wanted to go and gave Meredith a look indicating her to continue. – "I worry about how Callie's reaction may affect you" – she finally said it, and blushed a little bit.

"The only thing that affects me involving Callie is Sofia. Nothing else. I promise you" – Arizona said, kissing Meredith on the cheek.

They slept a few minutes later, cuddled. Arizona woke up hearing Ellis crying and went to the baby's room. Arizona had her crutches on, which made difficult for her to pick up Ellis from the crib. But watching her balance while she was leaning against the crib, she grabbed Ellis with one arm and leaned the other firmly so she could sit down on the rocking chair. The baby was happy playing with the blonde's curls and giggling at Arizona's funny faces and peak-a-boo games. Meredith heard the giggles and went to the room too, melting down with the perfect image of her girlfriend and daughter having such a blast together.

Meredith grabbed Ellis to change her diapers while Arizona was putting her prosthetic, so she could wake Bailey and Zola. Bailey was thrilled to hear Arizona's voice telling him that today was Aquarium Day. Meredith and Arizona were fixing some breakfast for them all and it seemed the beginning of a perfect family day.


	18. Chapter 18: a family matter

**I'm really glad that there are many readers who are still interested in this fanfiction, although I am still receiving lots of aggressive PMs asking me to stop it. So, I'm going to continue and if by any reason you think the story is getting bored before its end, I'll sort it out quickly. I am totally fine with receiving criticism, I just don't like being attacked by people who are doing this just to be mean and not to help the authors. I've learned English by myself in a country where less than 10% of the population can speak another language, so it would be nice if people could cut me some slack and try to appreciate the story rather than my spelling or just skip it, I wrote in the description that English is not my first language. I love to write and I'm doing this for me too, so I don't intend to stop, but I also would like to offer a story that can please the readers, so that's why I am justifying myself in here. But thank you all for the support! :)**

* * *

At the Aquarium, Bailey and Zola were amazed at everything they've seen there. Ellis had her moments of walking and running by herself, and moments of cuddles and short tantrums. Arizona made a surprise for them and bought them a cute t-shirt from the Aquarium gift store. The kids were truly happy, hugging and kissing her.

After lunch and a little walk in a small park nearby, they decided to go back home since the temperature was falling down quickly and soon it was going to rain.

When they arrived, Ellis was asleep in the backseat, while Zola and Bailey seemed to be getting along, which was a rare thing these days. Meredith put the older kids in the tub to run them a bath, and Arizona decided that it was time to call Callie since Thanksgiving was only a few days away.

A: _Hi, Callie. It's Arizona. Can you talk for a minute?_

C: _Yes, sure, how are you?_

A: _I'm fine, thanks, what about you? How are things in NY? Freezing already?_

C: _Yeah, a little bit. Sofia is excited to see the snow, though._

A: _After two days with aching bones from the cold she will pray for the summer, I'm sure!_

C: _I know I am already praying for it. But tell me, what do you want to talk about? The Thanksgiving?_

A: _Yeah, that too. You're bringing her on Thursday, right?_

C: _Yes, but actually I had a little problem with my schedule, so my dad is taking her to Seattle on Thursday, and I'll be the one picking her up there after the holidays._

A: _Ah, ok. No problem. Is your dad in NY?_

C: _He's arriving tomorrow! He misses Sofia like hell!_

A: _I'm sure she misses him too, they have this strong connection, she reminds me of him a lot. But, well, anyway, what I wanted to tell you is, since Sofia is coming here I'm going to tell her something that she would probably say it later to you, so I thought it would be best for us to talk before._

C: _Ok, I'm listening._

A: _Well, I'm dating someone. I'm in a relationship and it's serious so of course, I want Sofia to be a part of this._

C: _Look Arizona, I really don't have anything to do with your life, so you don't need to tell me anything. But thanks for the concern anyway._

A: _Well, Callie, I thought I should tell you since is someone from the hospital and… [she got interrupted]_

C: _What's new, right? Whatever Arizona, I really don't mind if you're converting some few interns and nurses and dermatologist doctors that look like models. It's really none of my business._

A: _Callie would you at least hear what I have to say?_

C: _No, I won't. Your love life does not concern me and I don't feel comfortable having this conversation with you, so if you'd excuse me, I have to go now, I have to work._

That was definitely not the reaction Arizona expected. She sounded so angry, like Arizona was doing some really shady thing by having a relationship almost two years since Callie left to NY with her girlfriend. She told Meredith who didn't understand it either, but if Callie didn't want to know, then maybe it was for the best.

It was Thanksgiving's eve and Arizona was really excited to see Sofia that would arrive soon with her grandfather. Arizona was going to pick them up at the airport at the end of the afternoon and had already cleared up her schedule for the rest of the day and tomorrow, one of the advantages of having Alex in Peds and Jo Wilson with great interest in fetal medicine, covering for days like that, where Arizona could have a little time with her beloved daughter.

The flight landed in time and Sofia couldn't contain herself with happiness when she saw her mom waiting for her just outside the arrival gate. Carlos, Callie's dad, was smiling seeing his granddaughter so happy and gave Arizona a tight hug, patting her back. They've had their bad moments, but since she showed herself supportive for Callie and even letting Sofia go with her, he came around and started to see Arizona as what she once told himself she was: a good man in the storm.

Carlos would flight to Miami the next morning and asked Arizona if she could drive him to a hotel nearby.

"Of course I won't do that, Mr. Torres! You can stay with us, it's a comfortable house and I can take you to the airport tomorrow morning" – Arizona exclaimed.

"Please, Arizona, call me Carlos. And I don't want to disturb you, Sofia misses you very much, she talks herself out the whole flight about you!" – Carlos explained.

"Well, Carlos, I am sure Sofia misses you too, so how about we both enjoy our little miss with a nice dinner and maybe a movie later. What do you think Sof, don't you think grandpa should stay with us tonight?" – Arizona asked her daughter.

"Yes! Please, grandpa, stay!" – Sofia asked with that irresistible child's voice.

"I bet you can't say no to that, grandpa!" – Arizona teased him, who nodded yes to his ex-daughter-in-law.

At home, Arizona was cooking something to dinner and Carlos decided to help since he was an excellent cook. Arizona was having a glass of white wine and offered him some. Sofia was playing with her two new dolls she just got from her grandfather and Arizona was feeling blessed having her little kid close to her again. The dinner was almost ready when Arizona's phone rang. It was Meredith and she excused herself to answer it. Carlos could heard some of the conversation and acknowledge that Arizona was seeing someone, but he didn't feel comfortable asking her.

Arizona said to Meredith that Sofia got home fine and Carlos would spend the night in her house to catch his flight tomorrow morning. Right after his departure, Arizona would go to Meredith's with Sofia, so their daughters could have a play date.

After the dinner, the three of them sat on the couch to watch a movie Sofia had chosen. About half hour later, Sofia was sleeping soundly on Arizona's lap and Carlos excused himself to get to Sofia's room and rest. Sofia would sleep with Arizona in her bed.

Early in the morning, still confused with the different time zone from Seattle, Sofia woke up and kissed Arizona on the cheek trying to wake up her Mommy.

"You're up early, honey!" – Arizona said, still sleepy.

"I'm not sleepy anymore, Mommy. Can we go out to play?" – Sofia asked, a little too excited for Arizona's taste, who really could use some more minutes to sleep.

"Sweetie, it's really cold outside right now. But how about we take this time since we're awake and have a little talk?" – Arizona asked, trying to initiate the conversation about her and Meredith.

"Ok, Mommy" – the little girl answered.

"Mommy has something to tell you, Sof. It's good news, actually!" – Arizona exclaimed.

"You're moving to New York too?" – Sofia asked extremely excited with the possibility, which sort of broke the blonde's heart.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm not moving there. We've talked about that, remember? You're living with Mama for a while and then you're going to live with me, here in Seattle." – Arizona explained, getting the little girl to nod yes, and continued. – "But actually what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm in a relationship now. Mommy is dating someone, and I wanted to tell you in person, to be sure you would be ok with that."

"Is someone I know?" – the girl asked with a curious voice

"As a matter of fact, it is. You know her very well, actually." – Arizona answered, smiling. – "Do you want to know who she is?"

"Yes, I do." – Sofia replied.

"Well, I'm dating Meredith. Zola's mom, do you remember her, right? You've spent a lot of time in her house" – Arizona said, a little apprehensive.

"I remember her. I like aunt Meredith." – Sofia answered, waiting to see if her mom would continue to talk about it or if she could get out of bed.

"Well, so are you ok with mommy having a new girlfriend?" – Arizona asked.

"Does that mean that you're moving too? Like Mama moved to New York with Penny?" – Sofia asked, a little confused.

"No, honey. I'm not moving, I'm staying here in Seattle. And Meredith lives here too, so we're not going anywhere." – Arizona said, calmly.

"Ok. Can I go play now before we take grandpa to the airport?" – The little girl asked, impatiently.

"You can, but don't leave the house, it's freezing out there, do you hear me?" – Arizona said while she was starting to put her prosthetic on when she heard the girl shouting downstairs.

"Uncle Andrew!" – Sofia exclaimed when she saw DeLuca, who was coming home after his shift.

"Uhm, I'm sorry, are you in the right house? Because here used to live a little girl called Sofia, but she surely isn't as big as you are!" – DeLuca said, pretending to not recognize her, making her giggle.

"I'm Sofia, uncle Andrew!" – the little girl said, hugging him.

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to Carlos at the airport, Arizona and Sofia got in the car to go to Meredith's. Sofia was thrilled to see Zola again and Arizona was happy that the talk went just fine with her. She had been through this with Meredith's kids when she told them, but since she was already spending a lot of time in the house, they got used to the idea more easily. Thankfully, Sofia didn't get upset or mad with the news.

They parked just in front of Meredith's house and Sofia asked Arizona to lift her up so she could ring the bell. Amelia answered the door and Sofia ran to hug her immediately.

"Oh my God, Sof! You've grown up so much! I think time's passing a little faster in New York than here!" – Amelia joked with the girl.

"I'm a big girl now aunt Amy. Where's Zola?" – Sofia asked, excited.

"She'll be down in a minute! C'mon, get in" – Amelia said to both of them, giving Arizona a hug.

Meredith entered the living room holding Ellis, while Bailey ran to Arizona's arms.

"Hey, little man, I've missed you!" – Arizona said to Bailey, who was hugging her thighs.

"I've missed you too, Awzona" – he said, still struggling to get her name right.

"Hi, Sofia! You look so big! How are you?" – Meredith asked Sofia, while they were hugging.

"I'm fine, aunt Meredith. And you? Where's Zola?" – Sofia asked.

"Zola will be down in a minute, she's finishing brushing her teeth." – Meredith replied.

Ellis was stirring in Meredith's arms wanting Arizona to grab her. She always gets a little impatient when she sees Arizona, wanting to be with the blonde.

Zola was excited when she saw her best friend waiting for her and soon they were playing a board game on the floor. Amelia said goodbye to the kids and to Arizona and Meredith since she needed to work today.

"Did you tell her yet?" – Meredith asked Arizona.

"I did, this morning. She's fine with it, she just asked me if that means that I would move away too, but I explain to her that I wouldn't and she was fine" – Arizona explained.

"That's really nice. They're going to have a real good time together this holiday" – Meredith said, with a happy voice.


	19. Chapter 19: thanksgiving

As they imagined, Thanksgiving was as perfect as it could be. Meredith hosted a big dinner party in her home, inviting some people from the hospital who weren't on call that day. Besides Arizona, Maggie and Amelia, Bailey, Alex, Jo, and Stephanie were there, celebrating. Richard Webber and Catherine Avery decided to spend the evening at a small dinner hosted by April and Jackson with little Harriet since they were trying to solve things between them.

The kids were exhausted from playing all day. Even little Ellis spent more energy with her siblings and Sofia than the usual, and she went to bed earlier that night.

After cleaning up everything, Maggie, Amelia, Meredith and Arizona stayed in the living room drinking some wine and talking about how many changes they've been through this year and how it all went greater than expected, considering the amount of trauma they had in their lives.

Exhausted, they all said goodnight and went to their rooms. Arizona always was a big fan of Thanksgiving, but she was happy it was over now and she could have a moment alone with Meredith. They were so busy lately that when they had some time, usually was spent sleeping. So tonight they could be alone and have the night for themselves. It all sounded a great plan and they were halfway through it until they heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"Mommy" – It was Bailey.

Meredith and Arizona exchanged looks and immediately ordered the boy to come in. He was carrying his stuffed bunny with a sad little face and some tears running down his cheeks.

"What happened, sweetheart?" – Arizona asked, opening her arms to hold him.

"I keep having a bad dream, I'm scared" – He answered.

"Honey, did you think about good things before closing your eyes? Remember what Mommy told you about bad dreams?" – Meredith said, fondling his head.

"It didn't work today" – He answered, sadly.

Meredith looked at Arizona with "I'm sorry" written in her eyes, and the blonde murmured "don't worry", indicating that it was absolutely ok for them to not do anything intimate after all. Instead, she pulled Bailey up to the bed, in the middle of them, and said with her kindly voice:

"How about you and Mr. Bunny sleep here with us tonight and see if this bad dream loses track of you? Sounds good?" – Arizona suggested.

The days after Thanksgiving passed by quickly and Arizona couldn't believe her daughter was leaving the next day. Time flies when she was close to Sofia and it was hard to imagine the little girl away from her until the middle of January when she would have the winter break.

It was almost 8 pm and Callie would probably get into her flight soon, so she called Sofia out for the little girl speaks to Callie over the phone before she leaves NY.

"Sofia! Come in here, you should call Mama!" – Arizona shouted from the kitchen.

Dialing for the little girl, she handed her phone when Callie answered.

S: _Mama! I miss you!_

C: _Oh baby, Mama misses you too, very much! How was Thanksgiving?_

Sofia left the kitchen with the phone and Arizona was still finishing cleaning the stuff from the dinner they had just before and couldn't hear what the girl was saying.

In the living room, Sofia continued:

S: _It was great Mama. We stayed at aunt Meredith's and I've played with Zola the whole weekend there!_

C: _Oh, that sounds fun! But your Mommy let you stay there the whole weekend?_

S: _Yes, she did, but she was there with aunt Mer too, we even cooked dinner one day and Bailey dropped the flour on the floor, it was funny Mama._

C: _Yeah, it sounds like it was a funny weekend, then. But are you sure Mommy slept there in aunt Meredith's house? Aunt Amy and Maggie are no longer living there?_

S: _They are, but they have their own room, and Mommy have aunt Mer's. Mama, I have to go now, Mommy is calling me. I love you!_

C: _Ok baby, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you too._

Callie was confused trying to understand why Arizona slept in Meredith's since they weren't close. She could understand the dinner and maybe spend some time together because of the girls, but sleeping there? And what did Sofia meant when she told that 'Mommy have aunt Mer's room'? The answer was quite obvious but Callie was having a hard time to believe in what she has just heard from her daughter. She would find hard seeing Arizona with someone else, regardless. But with Meredith? She felt betrayed and angry.

Arizona didn't even imagine what she would have waiting for her the next day, and it would be harder than just her daughter leaving.

It was early in the morning on the next day when Arizona heard a knock on her door and assumed that it was Callie.

"Sofia, hurry up, honey, your Mama is here!" – Arizona shouted to the girl – "Hi Callie, c'mon in!"

"Actually, can you get out here for a second? We need to talk" – Callie said in a harsh voice

"Sure, what's wrong?" – Arizona said, leaving the door almost fully closed.

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what is wrong, and I really hope that I'm the one who got it all wrong and Sofia misunderstood things, otherwise it will mean that you are dating Meredith!" – Callie said a little out of control, making Arizona shrug and look confused.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm lost here. I told you I was in a relationship Callie!" – Arizona tried to explain.

"Did it slip your mind to tell me it was with my friend?" – Callie screamed.

"Keep your voice down, please." – Arizona asked politely and continued. – "You told me that you didn't want to know anything about it! I've tried to tell you and you shut me down! Why this is a problem now?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? It's Meredith!" – Callie screamed again.

"Well, maybe you should send her a memo of what you consider friendship these days because apparently, she thinks differently!" – Arizona raised her voice.

Meredith appeared at the front door, hearing the two women arguing.

"Guys, Sofia is downstairs and she can hear you, maybe you should have this conversation when she's not around" – Meredith said, lowering her voice.

"Of course she's here. Man, this is nuts" – Callie murmured.

"Hello to you too, Callie." – Meredith said sarcastically.

"Fuck you, Meredith. Fuck you! You don't get to 'hello' me! You pulled out your supportive act with me but couldn't wait a minute to grab my wife after I left!" – Callie said out loud and clearly over her head.

"First of all, she's your ex-wife" – Meredith pointed.

"Oh, shut up, whore!" – Callie lost her head.

"Enough! Callie, get your shit together right now. You don't get to come to my house, saying a bunch of crap about my relationship and my girlfriend. If you still want to spend Christmas with your daughter then I suggest you shut up and take her with you like an adult, or if you need to take a walk to calm yourself, then go, but get the hell out of my house and my life. Don't make me regret my decision about Sofia. Think of her, for a minute." – Arizona said, enraged, and entered her house.

"Tell Sofia that I'm waiting outside" - Callie said to Meredith, with anger in her eyes.

The little girl left Arizona's house with Callie and they went straight to the airport, although their flight wouldn't leave until that night.

Arizona seemed really disturbed by Callie's reaction and that made Meredith feel concerned if the blonde still had some feelings about the ex-wife. At the same time, she was way too scared to ask Arizona, so she found an excuse to leave her house and go to work earlier, trying to get her mind out of it.

Arizona was distracted and didn't notice that her girlfriend wasn't completely comfortable with what just happened. She kissed Meredith and wished her a good day. She only had to be at the hospital in the afternoon, since she was on call until next morning, so she stayed at home, trying to digest all the discussion with Callie.

A few hours later, still at the airport, Callie texted Arizona.

 _I'm sorry I lost my mind. Our flight won't leave until 8 pm. Can you come here so we can talk?_

Arizona constantly believed in the best side of people, so she thought that was no different. Maybe Callie was just caught off guard and it took her a little while to process all of this. Arizona didn't want them to stay like that, they have a daughter together, they should be friends, at least. She went to the airport to talk to Callie.

"Thank you for coming." – Callie said, waiting for her in a small coffee place inside.

"Sure, Callie. I don't want us to fight like this. We have Sofia, we need to set the example for her, we need to be civilized" – Arizona stated, firmly but with her sweet voice.

"I know, I know. You're right. I-I just… Things are falling down, Arizona." – Callie confessed.

"What do you mean?" – Arizona asked, intrigued.

"In NY. Things aren't ok. Penny and I, we're like… we're not working. I'm not even sure I still love her." – Callie said, taking Arizona's hand and rubbing her thumb up and down on the blonde's hand.

"Callie, I'm so sorry to hear that. I really am. But don't you think you two can work it out? You've been through so much already, don't give up on her just yet" – Arizona gave her advice to Callie.

"The thing is: I'm not sure I want to fight this anymore. And seeing you today is really clearing up things for me" – Callie said, with a smile on her face, looking into Arizona's eyes, who now pulled out her hand from Callie's, realizing what her ex-wife was saying.

"Callie, I think you're confused about all of this and I understand it. It's a lot to take in. But I don't have anything to do with your relationship, whether it's good or not. If you want to break up with Penny, you should do it, but not because of me. I'm with somebody else." – Arizona stated, firmly.

"You're with Meredith, Arizona. Do you really think it's going to last? We have a child together; don't you think we owe her that? At least to give it a try?" – Callie asked, trying to pull Arizona's hand closer again.

"We've tried. We've tried, Callie, and you were the one who left. Years ago. What we need to do for Sofia is offer her love and protection. That's all. I'm with Meredith and regardless if it's lasting or not, that's where I want to be now, so I hope you can respect that." – Arizona said, now with an enraged voice.

"Well, you know where to find me when Meredith breaks your heart realizing you're not Derek. Good luck." – Callie said ironically and called Sofia out who was playing with Callie's cell phone on the table next to them. – "Sofia, your mom's leaving, go say goodbye to her"


	20. Chapter 20: I love you

At the hospital, Arizona bumped into Meredith by the end of the afternoon, after they spent most of their times at the OR, each one with difficult cases.

"Hey, we're still on for tomorrow night?" – Arizona asked her.

"I don't know, are we?" – Meredith answered, still walking down the corridor, with a tired look on her face.

"Well, I am. What's wrong honey?" – Arizona asked noticing Meredith's weird look.

"Nothing. I'm just tired. Did you get to say goodbye to Sofia after all?" – Meredith asked, changing the subject, which gave Arizona the perfect opportunity to talk about what happened with Callie at the airport.

"I did. Callie texted me after you left apologizing and asked me to go to the airport so we could talk like two adults and so I could say goodbye to Sofia." – Arizona explained, waiting for Meredith's answer.

"Oh, she did? And how did it go this adult conversation? More bad naming for me?" – Meredith asked sarcastically.

"Well, it wasn't good, actually. I went there because I tend to believe in the best side of people. I really thought she was sorry for what she said before. But she actually told me she and Penny are not in good terms right now." – Arizona started to tell her girlfriend.

"They're not? Why?" – Meredith asked her, intrigued.

"I didn't ask for details, but Callie said she's not sure if she still loves her, even though I advised her that she should try harder to fix the relationship. And then she just went nuts" – Arizona confessed.

"What do you mean 'nuts'?" – Meredith asked, now feeling insecure.

"She told me that seeing me just made her feel sure about not loving Penny anymore and that she wanted to try again, with me, and that we owed this to Sofia." – Arizona said, expecting Meredith to stop walking and look at her, which she didn't. – "Mer, would you stop walking and look at me, please?"

"I don't want to do this Arizona. Not here, not right now." – Meredith said, with watered eyes.

"Do what? I'm just telling you what happened!" – Arizona retorted.

"Ok, let me guess, then. She told you she was still in love with you after all of those years. Am I right?" – Meredith asked, angrily.

"Yes, she said that but…" – Arizona was interrupted.

"And then you said to her that you needed time to think, that you didn't see this coming and that you needed to end your relationship first, before getting into your marriage again. Am I close?" – Meredith asked, crying.

"No, you're not close at all. I said that I was in a relationship, indeed. And that if she really wanted to break up with Penny and move back to Seattle, she should, but she shouldn't do this because of me. I told her I was with you now, I've moved on and the only thing we owe to Sofia is honesty, love, and protection." – Arizona explained, holding Meredith's hand.

"You did?" – Meredith asked, crying and smiling at the same time.

"Of course I did, babe. You need to trust me a little more, you know?" – Arizona said before pressing her lips against Meredith's.

The two of them hugged for a while, Meredith was getting herself together and realizing that she was falling hard for Arizona. The feeling of maybe losing her to Callie made the woman feel so afraid and insecure, in a way she didn't know she could feel again. Luckily, it seemed like Arizona was on the same page as her, and Callie didn't seem to be a danger to their relationship at all.

Their relationship was growing stronger and even more intimate even though they haven't said the expected three words. Meredith was afraid to say it and Arizona wouldn't say it back. She was actually afraid of scaring Arizona with that. On the other hand, Arizona was trying not to admit to herself that she was completely in love with Meredith, even though they were together for four months. Were they together long enough to feel that way? That question was popping in their heads now and they would have to fight this fear to let their hearts speaks for them.

Meredith went home by herself since Arizona was staying at the hospital that night. She couldn't help thinking about how much they've been through in such short time, and what it really means, after all. Does that mean that maybe they were strong enough and shouldn't fear three little words? Or does it means that for the sake of the relationship, they shouldn't risk say it for now?

At home, Meredith was drinking a glass of wine with Maggie and her sister could notice something wrong.

"What's wrong? Did something happened?" – Maggie asked her sister.

"Did you say 'I love you' to DeLuca already?" – Meredith asked, without answering her sister's question.

"We're not there yet. I think." – Maggie answered kind of intrigued. - "Why?"

"How do you know? I mean, how are we supposed to know when we really are there?" – Meredith asked.

"How did you know with Derek?" – Maggie dropped the question, knowing that it might clear things up for her sister.

"I had to lose him to his wife in order to realize it." – Meredith said, with a sad tone in her voice.

"And why are you asking me that now? Are you afraid to lose Arizona?" – Maggie asked, concerned.

"I'm afraid of everything. I'm such a mess!" – Meredith confessed.

"Can you elaborate this for me?" – Maggie insisted.

"Callie found about us and freaked out. She said to Arizona that she still loves her. And she's thinking about moving back here" – Meredith said, unsatisfied.

"Oh my God. How's that possible? What about Penny?" – Maggie asked, intrigued.

"I think they're over." – Meredith answered.

"But what did Arizona think about it? Did you guys talked about it?" – Maggie asked.

"We did. She said it's not her problem and she's with me. Callie is in her past now" – Meredith pointed.

"Then why are you afraid? Better: what are you afraid of?" – Maggie seemed lost.

"I was really scared of losing her. I hate this feeling. I hate being insecure. But my dark twisted side was almost relieved when Arizona told me that Callie's still in love with her. Because I thought it was over and I'm used to things ending for me. But she didn't leave with Callie. She didn't walk away from me. She stayed." – Meredith explained.

"She stayed. That's good, Mer" – Maggie pointed.

"Yes, that's good. But that also made me think that I'm falling for her. I think I really love her, Maggie. What do I do?" – Meredith asked.

"Well, you have to tell her that. From where I stand, I believe that's pretty much how she feels about you too." – Maggie stated.

"But what if it's not? What if I tell her that and she freaks out and runs away? It's possible. I did that to her. Twice." – Meredith retorted.

"You'll only know if you try. There's no right time to do that, except when you realize that's how you truly feel." – Maggie said and left Meredith thinking.

The next morning, Meredith arrived at the hospital earlier than she had to, trying to catch Arizona in her office before rounds. Checking the OR board before and seeing she wasn't in any surgery, she opened the door of Arizona's office slowly to see the blonde sleeping on the couch.

Meredith walked silently towards the couch and lying beside Arizona, she wrapped her arm around her girlfriend, who stirred and opened her eyes slowly, smiling in sequence.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" – Arizona asked, sounding sleepy.

"I've missed you. I needed to see you before my day starts" – Meredith explained.

"That's good because I've missed you too" – the blonde pressed her lips against Meredith's, gently.

Both women stayed quietly cuddled, with closed eyes, even though they were both awake. It was possible to feel the air getting thicker and if somebody was there listening closely, it was possible to hear their hearts beating out of their chests. It was pretty obvious they needed to say something, but none of them seemed to find the courage to talk. For what's worth, both of them already knew what they were going to hear from each other.

"I love you" – Meredith said it first, with her heart now beating even faster, making the woman breathe faster too.

"You stole my move!" – Arizona said leaning up on one elbow to look at her girlfriend, with a grin on her face. – "I spent the whole night thinking about how I would say that to you"

"Really? Because I was terrified to say it and scare you." – Meredith confessed.

"Don't be. I love you too, you know? I really do." – Arizona said with emphasis.

It was a great sensation for both of them: loving someone and being loved in return. How often does this happen? How often do we find people who like us despite our dark moments? How often do we feel lucky every morning seeing the person we love sleeping right next to us? They felt this before, and that is what made this even more special: they didn't think it was possible to feel it again, someday. They had several lost in their lives: husband, wife, leg, friend, sister, brother. They've been through enough misery and finding a heart beating with happiness just for being in their companies seems luck enough.


	21. Chapter 21: perfect mom

By now, a few months have passed by. Meredith and Arizona are now together for a little more than a year. Although they still have their own places, they spend almost the whole time together. Meredith's kids were closer to Arizona within every second. Ellis often calls Arizona 'Mama' and after the first few times feeling awkward, Meredith and Arizona talked about it and agreed that it was only normal to the little girl assumed that the blonde was a parent like Meredith since they look after her the same way.

Zola and Sofia didn't have this behavior since they were older and could understand that better. Zola was feeling more comfortable sharing things with Arizona without trying to state to Arizona that she still remembered her father. Instead, they started to talk about Derek and Arizona would spend hours telling the girl about her dad's stories at the hospital. They started to develop a relationship of their own, respecting the boundaries of parenting, but knocking down that wall of distrust that existed before.

Bailey, who was still fascinated by the presence of Arizona each and every time, had now almost 5 years old and could understand what Meredith tells him about Derek and her relationship after his dad's death. She wanted to keep Derek's memory alive no matter how much time has passed but also wanted her kids to understand that it didn't prohibit her to love somebody else. The problem is: Bailey started to develop some anxiety issues that could only be stopped by Arizona. Somehow he didn't trust anyone else to calm him whenever he felt anxious or extremely afraid of something. Arizona suggested that her girlfriend look for a child psychologist and Meredith agreed with her.

After only two months in therapy, the psychologist asked for a meeting with Meredith and Arizona. The blonde understood that she was a huge part of the boy's life and whatever was that the therapist had seen in him, she probably was involved.

"Hi, thank you so much for you accepting coming in here today" – the therapist said to both women.

"Yes, of course." – Meredith replied, while Arizona smiled and sat down.

"I understand that Bailey is your son, biological son, right?" – the therapist asked Meredith.

"Yes, he is. His father died when he was 1." – Meredith answered.

"And you are not co-parenting?" – the therapist looked at Arizona.

"Uhm, we're dating for over a year now, so I spent a lot of time with him and his siblings, but he knows I'm Meredith's girlfriend and not his mother" – Arizona answered and immediately felt bad about how it sounded and tried to fix. – "I mean, not that is a bad thing to co-parent them, I love them very much, it's just that we haven't discussed it yet. God, I don't think that's coming out right" – Arizona sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm just trying to set up a picture of the whole situation here. It's more than usual that partners constantly feel like a parent even though it's not official."- the therapist explained.

"But that's bad? Is he confused?" – Meredith asked, worried.

"He's not confused, actually. To be honest, he is pretty sure, in his 5-year-old mind, that you, Meredith, are his mother, and that Arizona is his other mother. He often uses the word 'mom' referring to her, but when I ask about her, using her name, he has the same answer: he loves Arizona and feels safe with her. Somehow he got used to trusting her with this part of his life: the insecurity, the fears, the comfort. You are his safe haven, Arizona" – the therapist affirmed.

"But what does this mean? Should we talk to him? Try to be more clear about the 'mom' thing?" – Arizona asked, confused, but feeling extremely touched by what she heard.

"In my opinion, this means that you are an excellent parent for him. And Meredith, that doesn't mean that you are any different. He talks about you the same way, he connects you with other mothering situations. What we need to discuss here is whether you both feel comfortable with this, and also the source of his anxiety, which could mean many things, including being something about his own personality, so we need to discover and find a treatment." – the therapist explained her point of view.

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of lost here, I really don't know what we're supposed to do to help. If he's already seeing her as a mom, and that's good, what do we have to do about it? Do we need to, like, make it official?" – Meredith asked, holding Arizona's hand.

"No, you don't have to make it legal, if that's what you mean by making it official. To Bailey doesn't really matter the legal issues here. What I'm saying is that: there's a lot more in co-parenting than only have the acceptance of the child. At this point, with his connection with Arizona, have you thought what you would do if you guys separate? Is she going to spend time with him? Are you going to share days with him? Does Arizona have a say in the house? You cannot co-parent a kid if you want to play only the cool aunt part. There can't be 'good guy/bad guy' in parenting." – the therapist explained analyzing the confused look on the women's faces.

"We haven't talked about what would happen if we break up. We do not have the intention to separate" – Arizona stated.

"I understand that, but to be honest, I don't think any couple has this intention, yet they happen more frequently that we would like" – the therapist retorted.

"And what about his anxiety? Isn't he too young to feeling like that?" – Meredith asked, concerned and trying to avoid the other subject that seemed much more complex.

"He is, but anxiety is a disease. They usually don't respect any age group. For what I could see, he's a naturally shy kid. Sometimes living with other kids, like siblings, can decrease or increase the anxiety. Sometimes he just sees himself differently from the other kids at school. He seems very focused on whatever task I ask him to do like he needs to prove himself the best at it. Maybe he sees his older sister accomplishing things before him, as a natural fact since she's older, and he feels disappointed with himself. What I need to work on him are his self-esteem and confidence, so we can go from there to see what else is making him feel more anxious than expected for a kid in his age." – the therapist explained.

They left the therapist office and remained quiet almost the whole way to the hospital. Before they left the car, Arizona grabbed Meredith's hand.

"Are you upset with me? I'm feeling a little guilty, even though I can't explain why" – Arizona confessed.

"Upset? Of course not, honey. Why do you even think that? I'm actually worried because that fell on your lap out of the blue and I'm feeling like a bad mom for Bailey, and wondering how I tell that boy that he can't hand this responsibility to you, it's not fair. To both of you, actually" – Meredith explained, with a sad tone in her voice and a lost stare.

"Hey, stop it! Nothing fell on me, babe. And don't you dare think you're a bad mom to any of them, you're the most incredible and badass mom they could ever ask for. I am the one who feels like an intruder. I feel honored, completely honored, for being important for him, but I don't want to cross the line here" – Arizona stated.

"Can I ask you something? And can you promise me, to tell the truth, no matter what?" – Meredith asked Arizona, holding her hand tight.

"Always." – Arizona answered, staring directly into Meredith's eyes.

"Do you feel like you're their mother too? Even for a bit. I know I can count on you for everything. I can count on Maggie and Amelia but it's clear to me that they will always be their aunties." – Meredith asked.

"Honestly? Of course, I feel like I am a little bit their mom too. It's easier to feel that way since you're a single parent and we're together all the time, with them. I love them regardless of any title, for sure. But I worry about them all the time, the same way I worry about Sofia. And that's something I can't change or control, truth to be told. It's natural for me, and consciously I understand you are their mother and I am your girlfriend, it's not like my relationship with Callie about Sofia, where I am legally her mother and have all the rights regarding our daughter. But emotionally, I am thrilled when Ellis and Bailey call me mom because that's how I feel about them. And Zola, even though she doesn't cross the line, I know we have something special, some of our talks that are the same with Sofia. So, part of this is my fault too, I never set boundaries about co-parenting them, I never corrected them when they called me mom. I'm sorry." – Arizona stated, worried about what Meredith would think of that.

"Don't be sorry about that. I'm happy for it. I'd love to see you being their other mom with me in the future. Because when I think about my future, and my kids' future, I can't help but picturing you there with us. So if it's ok for you, I want to pursuit this treatment for Bailey considering you as his mom too. That means being his emergency contact too. That means sometimes forcing him to eat vegetables. Are you up for that?" – Meredith said, with a huge smile on her face.

"You know he eats vegetables with me, right?" – Arizona quipped.

"Shut up, perfect mom!" – Meredith kissed Arizona.


	22. Chapter 22: a surprise visitor

Bailey's therapy was showing its results quickly. The little boy seemed more confident about his small tasks and even trying to stand up for himself whenever Zola shut him out or if a classmate provoked him at school. Although he wasn't a violent kid at all, he was learning to defend himself and his anxiety episodes were getting more spaced. He was about to complete four months in therapy and Arizona and Meredith couldn't be more proud of him.

Although this year was supposed to be Arizona's with Sofia, the little girl seemed so happy in her new school and with her new friends, she begged not to move to Seattle again. That broke the blonde's heart once again, but every time they talked, Sofia always showed how much she misses Arizona. Unfortunately, for her kid's mind, the school was kind of a big deal and Arizona would feel guilty if her daughter moved back to Seattle and get depressed or dangerously angry. They've agreed to have this conversation again before the summer break to decide how it was going to be in the next school year. Arizona missed her daughter so much she couldn't even express. But to be honest, having Bailey, Ellis and Zola so close to her made the pain easier.

Especially to Arizona, who wasn't Sofia biological mother, DNA didn't mean anything, but some code for the genetics. Love was way beyond that, and that's how she saw Meredith's kids, or better said, their kids.

At one night, Meredith and Arizona were lying in bed, talking about the summer vacations.

"Sofia's coming in the summer, right? Have you thought about what you guys will want to do?" – Meredith asked her girlfriend, who was wrapped around her.

"She's coming, but I haven't thought about anything yet. Do you want to travel with them? It could be fun!" – Arizona suggested.

"I certainly couldn't be out the whole summer, neither could you? But we could use a week to have a fun trip. Where would you want to go?" – Meredith asked, smiling.

"Somewhere hot, please! I can't take cold anymore this year" – Arizona quipped.

"Outside US? Do you think we can handle 4 kids outside America?" – Meredith asked, disbelieving her own suggestion.

"Well, we have beaches around here too. But sure it will be way cooler if we could go to a Caribbean beach, maybe" – Arizona joked.

"I think that Mexico might me as far as we can go" – Meredith laughed.

"Well, Cabo sounds fun too. How about South America? Fun and cheaper!" – Arizona suggested.

"Do you speak Spanish? Or whatever is that they speak there. Is that Spanish only?" – Meredith asked, confused.

"I think it is, maybe Portuguese too. And I can speak Spanish. Hear me out: chica hermosa!" – Arizona joked.

"What does that means?" – Meredith asked, laughing out loud.

"I think it's a beautiful lady. Am I good or what?" – Arizona laughed too.

"It's sexy." – Meredith said while kissed Arizona. – "But I think we're going to need more than that if we decide to go there"

The next morning was particularly busy for the couple: Ellis was running a slight fever, Zola was refusing to wear a jacket that, apparently, she hated now and Bailey had an anxiety attack hearing Meredith and Zola fighting. Usually, they were masters dealing with all of this at the same time, when Amelia and Maggie were there to help, but Maggie spent the night at the hospital and Amelia was locked in her room after the night before, when she broke up for good with Owen. She refused to talk about it and locked herself in her room.

"Ok, honey, calm down. It's not good for Bailey to go to school like that, so, why don't I go ahead and take Zola to school and have Bailey with me and you can wait for the sitter to watch Ellis, I've already given her Tylenol, it's just the flu, nothing to worry about. And we can deal with Amelia tonight, because she would be already bored of being locked up in her room, ok?" – Arizona suggested, kissing Meredith on the cheek and picking up Bailey.

"Ok, little man, how about you come with me to work today? Would you help me cure the babies there?" – Arizona asked Bailey, even though he seemed too scared to answer and just wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck. – "Zo, c'mon, we gotta go now!"

The girl had to accept the jacket since Meredith forbid her to use anything else. She was mad and didn't want to talk on the way to school.

"C'mon Zo, are you letting a jacket ruin your day? It's just a jacket, honey!" – Arizona tried to comfort her while driving.

"I hate it, none of my friends use a childish jacket like that!" – Zola complained.

"Ok. If I tell you something, can you keep a secret?" – Arizona asked the girl.

"Yes" – Zola replied, a little annoyed.

"When I was your age or a little bit older, I hated some things my mom made me use, so I started to fight her about it and it didn't work, my mom was tough! But then, I've noticed that she just wanted to know me, and by telling me what to wear was like knowing what I was like. So I started to share my thoughts and likes with her, like 'mom, I saw the coolest skirt on a girl at school today, do you think you can search it with me so you can see if you like it?' and then she started to listen to the things I wanted her to hear and it was easier. You have every right to get your own taste for clothing, as long as it fits your age, of course, but you have to learn how to talk to your mom because she just wants to get to know you." – Arizona said with her sweet angelical voice.

She dropped Zola in front of her school and gave the girl a sweet smile. Zola smiled back and thanked Arizona. In the meantime, Bailey was still quiet in the back seat, which was sort of heartbreaking.

"Honey, you didn't eat your cereal this morning. Do you want to eat something with me before we go to the hospital?" – Arizona asked the kid.

"I'm not hungry" – He answered, vaguely.

"It was the fight that made you feel bad?" – She insisted on talking.

"I don't like to see mom upset, I remember her crying when daddy died" – Bailey said, making Arizona sigh with compassion.

"I know, sweetie, I don't like to see mom crying either, but sometimes we fight about something with people we love, and that doesn't mean we're going to be sad like that. It's going to pass right away and things would be fine." – Arizona tried to explain to him.

"But I have to end it because I'm the only one" – the little boy said.

"The only one what?" – Arizona asked, intrigued.

"The only boy. Justin at school told Ms. Brook that since his dad died in the war he was the man in his house and he had to defend his family. It's the same thing for me." – He said, innocently.

Arizona couldn't help but smile about how sweet this little boy was. It takes a good heart to feel responsible for a whole family when you're only 5.

"Honey, Justin had been through a hard time with his loss and so has you. And that's true; you are the only man in the house. But you're not responsible for your mom or anyone. As a family member, your responsibility is to be a good boy, and help your mom as you can, but you're not your dad, and for what I have known of him, he wouldn't let you assume that place. You're the sweetest kid I know and your mom and I are very proud of who you are, you don't have to be anyone else. Ok?" – Arizona explained, seeing a slight relief on the boy's look.

"Ok. Thank you mommy" – He said, making Arizona smile and hold her tears.

At the hospital, she walked in holding his little hand heading to the attending's lounge, where she was going to change her clothes to her scrubs and lab coat before starts her rounds.

"Wilson, can you look after him for a sec while I change into my scrubs?" – Arizona asked Jo who was finishing a yogurt in there, even though she wasn't an attending yet.

"Sure. Hi, Bailey, how are you? Are you working with Dr. Robbins today?" – she asked the boy who was a little shy and just remained sit and quiet looking at her. – "Well, I'm sure you'll have loads of fun because Dr. Robbins is the best baby doctor in the world, you know?" – she insisted on talking.

"She can cure moms too" – Bailey said in his sweet childish voice.

"Yeah, she can. Isn't she awesome?" – Wilson exclaimed.

"Yes" – the boy now was smiling.

"Ok, Bailey, I'm ready, shall we work?" – Arizona exclaimed, calling her son to follow her. – "Now say goodbye to aunt Jo, honey!"

"Bye, aunt Jo" – the boy said hugging her.

As they got out of the elevator and were walking hand in hand towards the NICU to check on some babies, Arizona heard a familiar voice calling her out:

"Arizona! Honey!"

 _Jesus Christ, is that my mom?_

She thought while turned around to confirm her suspicious.

Arizona was really close to her parents, but since her divorce, she tried really hard to keep her personal life apart from them. They bonded with Callie and because of Sofia, they were still pretty close. So after the divorce, every time Arizona told them about a date or a potential woman that she was becoming interested in, they weren't the most supportive people. They insisted on the fact that she and Callie have a daughter and maybe some time apart can be the right medicine to fix a couple.

So, after a few months dating Meredith and avoiding her parents' calls early in the morning, she has reached a point where she no longer could hide the relationship, especially because she was falling for Meredith that time. So she told them, without getting into many details, as name or history. She just told them that her girlfriend was also a surgeon and that they work together.

Since her parents didn't truly believe she could actually fall in love again with someone other than Callie, they weren't that interested in the details.

The thing is: now her mother was there, in front of her while she was holding little Bailey's hand, without any heads up.

"Mom! Oh my God, what are you doing here?" – Arizona exclaimed surprised, hugging her.

"Your father had to run some errands in Portland and we decided to extend the trip to visit you since you're so busy that can't come visit your old parents" – Barbara said in a sarcastic tone. – "And who is this little handsome boy over here?"

"I'm mom's helper today!" – Bailey exclaimed in his happy voice.

"Mom's helper?" – Barbara was about to freak out when Arizona immediately interrupted her.

"Honey, can you do me a favor? Go there to that tall man, he's Dr. Riggs, can you ask him to help me with a consult on a patient now?" – Arizona asked the boy trying to get him out of there to deal with her mother.

"Sure!" – Bailey answered and ran to Dr. Riggs who stayed a while playing with him.

"What the hell is going on Arizona Robbins? Do you have a son and didn't tell me?" – Barbara was almost screaming, having Arizona squeezing her hand for her to keep it down.

"No, mom! I mean, yes, he's kind of my son. He's Meredith's son" – Arizona said, receiving a confused look from her mother. – "Meredith, mom. My girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend is Meredith? This hospital's Meredith?" – Barbara asked, still intrigued and loud.

"Mom, don't start it. I told you I was dating!" – Arizona stated.

"You didn't tell me it was with Meredith, Arizona! She's Callie's friend! How could you do that?" – Barbara sounded shocked.

"She was my friend too, mom! And we fell in love, it happened. She was single, I was single, it happened. Can you please let it go? And can you please don't give him a hard time? Please?" – Arizona begged, noticing that the little boy was running back to her.

"Dr. Riggs said he will be here in a minute" – Bailey said, excited.

"Thank you, sweetie. You're the best helper." – Arizona got down on her knees to stay as tall as the boy and said, smiling. – "So, Bailey, I want you to meet my mother, who flew from DC without letting me know and came to visit!"

Barbara looked down at Arizona with judgmental eyes and melted down when the little boy extended his hand to her:

"Hi, I'm Bailey."

"Well, hello Bailey. I am Barbara. How are you?" – Barbara asked, smiling at the boy and shaking his hand.

"Did you need me, Dr. Robbins?" – Nathan Riggs asked, approaching the group.

"Yes, thank God, I need you." – Arizona exclaimed, relieved, and turned to her mother. – "Mom, I really need to work now, can you text me where are you and dad staying so we can meet later?"

"Yes, I'll do that. Do you want help with this little guy while you're working?" – Barbara offered.

"No! No, no, mom, thank you. Thank you very much. I'll talk to you later ok? Love you!" – Arizona said while was walking away from her mother and pushing Dr. Riggs along with her.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Robbins." – Riggs said, a little confused. Then, he turned to Arizona. – "Is it something wrong?"

"No, I just really needed an excuse to get out of there, I'm sorry I had to use you, but you're free now and I owe you one!" – she answered, entering in the elevator with Bailey, and sighing, relieved.

After a few seconds, Bailey asked:

"Do you think I can call her grandma?"

 _Yep. I'm so screwed._ Arizona couldn't help but think how she was going to handle this.


	23. Chapter 23: meet the parents

After finishing all of her rounds along with Bailey and receiving all kinds of compliments like 'he is so adorable' or 'your son looks just like you' and making her blush, Arizona was relieved that at least the morning went well after the surprising visit from her mother. Bailey seemed a lot better than he was before they left home and all of the cases in rounds were stable and not scary for him – which was the only reason she took the kid with her.

She went to the daycare with the little boy since she would have some surgeries right after lunch and he couldn't be hanging around with her anymore. After some resistance from him, he accepted being there after Arizona promised him a lab coat of his size so he could pretend to be a real doctor. She had no idea how she would arrange that, but one problem at a time.

She was about to enter the attending's lounge when Meredith was leaving and it was the perfect opportunity for Arizona to tell her about her mother being in Seattle.

"Hey! I was looking for you actually, do you have a few minutes?" – Arizona asked her.

"Sure, where's Bailey? I thought he was with you." – Meredith asked back.

"I left him in the daycare just now, I'll have some surgeries after lunch. But he's fine, he loved being my assistant today!" – Arizona said, with an excited voice, which always makes Meredith smile about.

"So, what's going on?" – Meredith asked while eating a granola bar.

"Remember a few months back, when we were lying down on the couch at my office and you told me you loved me?" – Arizona said with a weird smile as if she was crazy.

"I remember, indeed. Why are you asking me that, honey?" – Meredith answered, laughing.

"How much of that was true?" – Arizona asked, still smiling weirdly.

"Am I missing something here?" - Meredith asked, intrigued.

"Meredith! Answer my question!" – Arizona exclaimed.

"All of that was true! Why? You're starting to freak me out" – Meredith pointed out.

"Good to know, honey, because you're going to need all of this love today. My parents are in town." – Arizona explained.

"And why is that a bad thing? I thought you were close to them." – Meredith asked the blonde, who answered smiling.

"I am. I am close to them. But since my divorce I needed to separate things, so they are kind of lost in what is happening in my life right now" – she confessed.

"They don't know you're dating someone else? You said to me you've told them after I left DC!" – Meredith exclaimed.

"I did! I told them I was dating someone, but I didn't say who was the person. And my mother popped out here at the hospital today when I was with Bailey, who called me mom in front of her. Do I need to go on?" – Arizona asked when saw Meredith trying hard not to laugh. – "Stop laughing, it's not funny. They won't leave Seattle until they meet you properly!"

"Well, I do know them already, they've been here before." – Meredith stated.

"Back then you were just Meredith, Callie's friend. And now you are Meredith, the woman who shares a bed with their daughter. So, yes, you'll have to meet them. I'm just giving you a heads up." – Arizona pointed.

"Babe, to be honest, I don't really think it's a good idea, I'm usually terrible with parents. They hate me. I don't want your parents to hate me." – Meredith confessed.

"They won't hate you, that's not possible. My parents are the sweetest persons I've known." – Arizona stated.

"Then why are you so worried?" – Meredith asked confused.

"Because they talk and they ask. They ask, babe. They ask about everything. And they also have a say in everything, like, 'maybe you should get a bigger car or maybe you shouldn't give ice cream to the kids after 6 pm', you know? It's annoying. But they'll like you. They'll love you!" – Arizona exclaimed.

"Do you think I should get a bigger car?" – Meredith was intrigued.

"Honey, your car is already huge. Bigger than that only a minivan and I don't think you old enough to be this cheesy" – Arizona quipped.

After their shift, Arizona headed home to get a shower and a new change of clothes, since she was in Meredith's for the past 5 days. She made reservations for her, Meredith and her parents at one of the finest restaurants in Seattle later that night and was trying hard not to get nervous.

 _They'll love Meredith, of course. What's not to love about her?_ Arizona kept thinking while she was in the shower.

Meredith was finishing a story with Bailey before he sleeps, and Amelia was starting to feel better and was playing with Zola. She kept asking Meredith and Maggie not to ask anything about her and Owen, but at least she didn't try anything stupid like using drugs or having a drink again. She just wanted to get over this without reliving it endlessly.

"Do you think her parents are going to hate me?" – Meredith asked Amelia, feeling nervous.

"Why would they hate you?" – Amelia laughed.

"Your mother wasn't the biggest fan of me, you know" – Meredith pointed out.

"Well, you weren't the most pleasant person to our family either, so maybe you should work on being nicer to them." – Amelia stated.

"I hate meeting parents. They expect me to be the loveliest girl and I have to keep looking like someone fake. It's exhausting." – Meredith confessed.

"You're not a teenager anymore, get over it! You don't have to pretend to be anyone else. You love their daughter, that's the only thing that matters. And at the end, if they don't like you, there's nothing much they can do about it." – Amelia stated, squeezing Meredith's shoulder.

Arizona parked her car at the restaurant and squeezed Meredith's hand as a sign of confidence. The other woman, however, was clearly nervous.

They entered and soon Arizona saw her parents waving at them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, nice to meet you." – Meredith said, politely.

"Please, call me Barbara. It's really nice to meet you properly Meredith. Please, have a sit" – Barbara offered gently.

"So, dad, how was your trip to Portland?" – Arizona was trying to break the ice.

"Great. I still believe that Oregon is one of the best states in America. Meredith, are you from Seattle?" – the Colonel asked.

"I am, indeed. I was born here, but my mom moved to Boston when I was 5, so I grew up there and came back here afterwards" – Meredith answered, sipping her glass of water since she was too nervous to have any alcohol.

"Oh, well, I grew up in Boston too! I was born in Worcester but grew up in Boston. I moved away when I was 16 and then I met Daniel, in DC" – Barbara said, with excitement. – "Where did you live up there?"

"Beacon Hill, do you know?" – Meredith answered.

"No kidding! I lived in West End, quite close!" – Barbara replied.

"Oh that was nice, I sort of miss Boston sometimes." – Meredith said and Arizona looked at her as a sign that she was doing great.

"And Barbara told me you have a lovely son, is that true?" – Daniel asked Meredith.

"I do, indeed. I also have two more girls." – Meredith couldn't tell if he was being pleasant or just trying to investigate her.

"They're very special, dad. And Zola, the oldest, is actually Sofia's best friend. They're the same age and grew up together before Callie moved to New York" – Arizona pointed.

"Have you talked to her, honey? Is she ok with that new girlfriend of hers?" – Barbara asked and soon noticed she might have been rude to Meredith. – "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be impolite" – she added.

"No worries, that's completely fine." – Meredith tried to sound relaxed, even though Arizona's dad kept glaring at her.

"We spoke when she picked up Sofia after Thanksgiving, but we don't talk much these days, mom. Can we talk about something else? How are things in DC?" – Arizona seemed a little annoyed.

"They're the same. Your mom keeps talking about moving away from there, maybe I should consider. But tell me, Meredith, how old are your kids?" – Daniel asked, receiving a negative look from his daughter.

"8, 5 and 2. There's a good age difference between them" – Meredith said smiling.

"Oh, 2? Pretty young. Does she have a dad? Or another mother?" – the Colonel asked.

"Dad, please." – Arizona asked, impatiently.

"What? I'm just trying to know her better. I didn't mean to offend you, Meredith, I'm sorry," – Daniel apologized.

"Arizona, that's ok, and don't worry Mrs. Robbins, I wasn't offended. I was married before, my husband died in a car accident and I didn't know at the time that I was pregnant, I discovered a few months after that" – Meredith tried to explain.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I can only imagine what's like to be through pregnancy by yourself" – Barbara sounded compassionate.

They continued the small talk and at the end, Meredith seemed much more comfortable than Arizona herself. The Robbins were very friendly and lovely, making Meredith feel like family.

When they were saying goodbye at the restaurant entry, Daniel hugged Meredith and said:

"Look, I'm really sorry for my question before, I was just trying to know your story better since it seems now that it's my daughter's life too. I wasn't trying to be rude or sexist, I hope you can understand."

"I know, it wasn't a rude question. It's only normal for you both to try to know who I am. I would love to share more of my life with Arizona's family, she's very important to me and to my children" – Meredith stated, with a sweet voice.

"Meredith, darling, it was lovely to get to know you better. I hope we can repeat this before we leave to DC" – Barbara said getting a confused look from Arizona, who thought her parents were leaving on the next day.

"Sure, why don't you guys come over to dinner tomorrow at my place? That way you can meet the children, too." – Meredith suggested and Arizona was about to interrupt the invitation, but her father was faster.

"It would be a pleasure. Arizona can you give us the address tomorrow? You two have a safe trip back now. Good night!" – Daniel said.

The two women were walking towards Arizona's car when Arizona couldn't help herself:

"You didn't have to invite them over. They'll never leave now!" – Arizona said angrily.

"That was the first time in my life that parents actually liked me. Can I enjoy my lucky wave?" – Meredith said, laughing.


	24. Chapter 24: a big family

Meredith had the next day off, while Arizona had multiple surgeries due to an accident at an amusement park and Karev couldn't handle all of the cases by himself. Three kids died, leaving Arizona and Alex pretty devastated.

"They were less than 10 years old. How on earth that happened?" – Arizona sighed while they both left the last surgery.

They were on their way to the waiting room to give the sad news to this last boy's family. Everything they tried to say seemed useless, the parents were inconsolable. Murphy was the resident working along with them at the case and tried to be a little more firm with the parents, having Arizona to excuse her and pushing Murphy to a corner in the room.

"You don't get to do that, Murphy. They just lost their 10-year-old son. Can you even imagine their pain?" – Arizona said angrily.

"They were trying to blame the hospital! They called you useless!" – Murphy tried to defend herself.

"They can call me whatever they need to, in order to grieve their son. We can handle this. They can't. Have a little heart, please." – Arizona said and left the resident alone.

In the meantime, Meredith was setting the table and finishing warming up the dinner. This time she wouldn't risk burning the food or counting on Maggie to arrive in time to prepare it, so she ordered a whole deal from an Italian restaurant near her house. They delivered the food and all she had to do was putting it in nice bowls and warm it up before Arizona's parents arrive.

She was beginning to feel worried when Arizona texted her saying she would be late due to the accident. Amelia helped her bathing the kids so they all looked nice for the dinner. Meredith begged Amelia to stay and have dinner with them so she could help if the kids started to act inadequately. Against her will, Amelia agreed to do it, as long as Meredith would stop the questions about her relationship with Owen and why it ended.

They were almost finishing setting the table when Barbara and Daniel arrived and Amelia received them on the front door.

"Hello, welcome! You must be Arizona's parents. I'm Amelia, Meredith's sister!" – Amelia greeted them.

"Hello, Amelia, I'm Barbara and this is my husband Daniel. Are they home yet?" – Barbara asked, surprised to know that Meredith has another sister since she only knew about Lexie because of the plane crash.

"Arizona is running late due to a surgery, but Meredith is in the dining room, come in" – Amelia informed them.

Meredith heard them entering and soon was there to welcome them, while the kids were sitting on the couch almost static, as they were threatened to stay that way. Ellis was having a late nap and soon would wake up and Meredith knew that meant a late bedtime for the girl that night.

"Barbara, Daniel, welcome, this is my house, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?" – Meredith greeted them.

"We're just fine, dear, thanks. So, you must be Zola, right? This little boy I met at the hospital yesterday" – Barbara said spotting the kids at the couch.

"Yes, nice to meet you." – Zola said with a soft voice without moving.

"Ok, I'll take a look at the food and be right back. Please, sit down" – Meredith suggested to them and left with Amelia.

"Did your mom ask you guys to be really really quiet in here?" – Daniel asked the kids with a huge smile.

"Yes." – Bailey confessed, receiving a squeeze from his sister.

"Bailey, we're not supposed to tell that!" – Zola whispered.

Daniel and Barbara laughed at the scene.

"You don't have to worry, we love kids! Now come closer, we want to know more about you two" – Daniel ordered and soon gained the kids confidence.

Meredith arrived at the living room a few minutes later to find her kids giggling and climbing onto Daniel.

"Guys, what did I tell you earlier about behaving? You're disturbing Arizona's dad, please be good." – Meredith said firmly, but without raising her voice.

"No, please, Meredith, I'm having a blast with those two. They're not disturbing at all!" – Daniel affirmed.

They continued the fun with Daniel while Barbara went to the kitchen to offer some help to Meredith and Amelia. Arizona's mom seemed very comfortable and happy to be there, getting to know her daughter's love and her new family that hopefully would include herself and Daniel too. Although they were very supportive with their daughter sexuality, they never really had the chance to watch one of Arizona's relationships grow with time. Every time they got involved, was already something destined to end or to marriage, as happened with Callie. The in-between, like seeing the early apprehension on both women, the gradual proximity between them and their families, to know about the other woman's past and history, all of that were very important to Barbara, along to the fact that Meredith seemed a very loving and caring person and mom, which was definitely something important considering that Arizona was like that herself.

While they were at the kitchen talking, waiting for Arizona to arrive from the hospital to serve the dinner, Bailey entered running all fuming.

"Aunt Amy, can you lend me your heart-listening?" – the boy said, referring to her stethoscope.

"Honey, why do you need that?" – Amelia asked, curiously.

"I'm going to be grandpa's doctor!" – the boy exclaimed, immediately receiving a negative look from his mom.

"Bailey, didn't we talk about this today? Can you please apologize to Barbara and Daniel?" – Meredith ordered, assuming that Arizona's parents would be offended to have themselves called grandparents of kids they barely knew.

"He'll do no such thing, Meredith. It's actually our pleasure if he considers us as grandparents, right Bailey? I would love to be your grandma if you want me to!" – Barbara said, smiling to the boy, who now was smiling too.

Nodding to Amelia and Meredith, Barbara allowed the brunette to lend the stethoscope to her new grandson.

"Ok, Bailey, you can pick it up in my purse, but be careful, sweetie, that's my good one, ok?" – Amelia said and the boy just nodded and left the kitchen like a hurricane.

He came back with the stethoscope in his ears, pressing it against Daniel's chest and making a serious face to show he was actually committed to the doctor play.

Arizona arrived and laughed with the scene right in front of her.

"Bailey, honey, what are you doing?" – Arizona said and quickly hugged her father. – "Hi, dad!"

"I'm grandpa's doctor today. His heart is good!" – Bailey said overly excited.

When she was about to reprehend the kid about the 'grandpa' thing, the three women entered the living room and Barbara was the first one to greet Arizona.

"Oh, darling, you've arrived. Have you heard about my new grandkids?" – Barbara said with a grin on her face.

"I just heard it, actually. And I was about to ask him to wait a little more for this, are you guys ok?" – Arizona said afraid that her parents were just being polite.

"Are you kidding? We've always wanted a bunch of grandkids!" – Daniel said, still playing with Bailey.

The dinner went smoothly fine and as soon as it was over, Bailey was insisting on playing a little more as Daniel's doctor before he goes to bed. The man was just as happy as the little boy; they were having a blast together. Zola was a little quieter but seemed very interested in knowing some braiding secrets that Barbara was doing in her hair, telling stories about when Arizona was a little girl like her and she used to braid her hair every day. Ellis stole the scene by giggling to every little thing Barbara and Daniel said to her. They've surely missed having a baby that young around them.

After the kids went to bed and the adults had a long conversation about their lives, Barbara and Daniel had to leave and begged Meredith to keep in touch with them so they could talk to the kids and to both of them as well.

In Meredith's bed, Arizona seemed relieved that all went better than expected and thanked Meredith for the amazing dinner she made.

"Well, I have a confession to make. I didn't cook any of that. I ordered from that Italian place we love. I just heated it." – Meredith confessed with sad eyes.

"Seriously? Oh my God, you're a trickster!" – Arizona replied with laughter.

"I didn't make anything. Not even the salad. Please, don't tell your parents. Right now they think I'm good enough for their daughter, they think I can cook." – Meredith begged to try to contain her laughter as she was trying to sound honest.

"I won't tell them anything, don't worry. But they like you for who you are, not for your cooking skills. What did you think of them, after all?" – Arizona asked her girlfriend.

"They're lovely. I'm in love with them. And Bailey, oh my God, I really don't know how he's going to react tomorrow when he realizes that your dad is gone" – Meredith said with a smile on her face.

"They bonded so fast! It was adorable. I'm happy it all went well. It wouldn't change a thing for us if something had happened or if they weren't pleasant, but it's far more comfortable knowing that the people I love the most seemed to love each other too" – Arizona said while kissing Meredith on the lips.


	25. Chapter 25: falling apart

In the middle of that night, Arizona got paged due to a car crash involving a pregnant woman and her 2 small children. Arizona woke up a little confused but managed to dress up quickly without waking Meredith and headed to the hospital. She left a cute note on the nightstand beside Meredith.

 _Good morning, beautiful. Got paged, massive car crash. It's really hard to leave you sleeping by yourself like that. See you soon, my love. – A._

Luckily the mom survived and her baby too, but it took more than 4 hours inside of the OR for Arizona to control the bleeding and prevent an early birth which would seriously compromise the survival chances of that baby.

Her other children, 4-years-old twins, had massive injuries all over their tiny bodies. The boy was operated by Riggs and Webber and survived, but was still in critical conditions at ICU while the girl was in the OR with Karev and Murphy for longer than 6 hours and they were running out of hope with her.

After making sure that both mom and baby were out of danger, Arizona scrubbed again to help Alex with the little girl.

"Ok, Alex, update me" – Arizona asked.

"Massive intern injuries, every time we stop a bleeding something else starts bleeding again, it's pretty bad" – Alex answered, clearly exhausted.

"Her heart and lungs? Any injuries?" – Arizona asked while was getting her gloves on

" A broken rib perforate her lung but it's controlled now" – Murphy answered that.

With an extra set of hands, the team was able to maintain the girl alive, at least for that moment, but she would need more surgeries once she was a little more stable, since her spleen and liver were heavily compromised.

After the three of them left the OR, they looked like battered warriors from all the exhaustion and tension.

It didn't last more than 10 minutes resting on the attending's lounge for them to receive a page from Bailey, who was calling every surgeon to a meeting at the conference room.

Meredith was already inside the room when Arizona entered, and she quickly greeted her girlfriend.

"I heard you rocked the ORs, babe. How are you?" – Meredith asked, giving a light kiss on Arizona's lips.

"I'm exhausted, but happy everyone survived, at least for now" – Arizona answered and right after that, the Chief started to speak.

"All right, as everyone should remember, today we start a new set of surgical interns. I hope that both you attendings and senior residents would commit to teach them and improve our program. Dr. Webber will be responsible for setting the groups to each resident and how the rotation is going to work. Any doubts?" – Bailey asked the team.

"How many will be starting today?" – Dr. Wilson asked.

"There will be seven of them" – Richard Webber answered the resident.

"Ok, I also have a new topic to discuss, better, to inform you, about a temporary contract starting today of one new specialist that will be spending a few months here in Grey Sloan…" – Bailey got interrupted by everyone's pages that were off with 911 due to a fire in a shopping mall.

Quickly every doctor left the room and ran straight to the pit, being organized by Owen and April. Little they know which doctor was about to arrive in town later that day.

Exiting the elevator typing on her cell phone, after the pit was cleared up, Arizona almost bumped into someone and at the moment she lifted her head up, she got mortified with the surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-I …" – Arizona couldn't finish her sentence.

"Well, it must be my lucky day! First day at new job and Arizona Robbins is the first person I see"

"Lauren, what are you doing here?"- Arizona asked Lauren Boswell, the woman who caused her a lot of trouble in the past.

"Haven't Dr. Bailey told you? I'll be working here at Grey Sloan for a few months! Isn't that great? How are you? It's been a long time since we last spoke" – Lauren exclaimed.

"Why? Why are you working here now?" – Arizona asked, still disbelieving the information.

"Well, I thought you were on board, weren't you? I'll be accepting your surprised look as if you are surprised in a good way, I hope" – Lauren quipped.

"Ok, Lauren, I have to go now." – Arizona said and just left, confused and surprised, but surely not in a good way.

 _Damn it! I need to find Meredith._ Arizona thought and made her way to the attending's lounge to find her girlfriend and tell her before she heard the news.

Meredith was in surgery, however, and Arizona needed to wait for her to finish.

After a long and difficult surgery, Meredith left the OR and headed towards the elevator, standing behind two new interns who seemed to be friends with Leah Murphy already, or maybe knew her from somewhere else. They were so focused on what seemed like a gossip that didn't notice Meredith behind them.

"Are you serious? But do you think she accepted the job here because of her?" – One of the new interns asked Murphy.

"Well, it wouldn't surprise me. Rumor has it that she isn't over Robbins since that day they slept together. She tried to call her several times, but after her, there was me and then Callie again" – Murphy was explaining the situation, now making Meredith's sure that they were gossiping about her girlfriend.

"But Boswell is also hot, I'm sure she must have tons of women after her, doesn't she?" – The other intern asked.

"It's hard to see the line when you're stuck at Arizona Robbins" – Murphy said laughing until she noticed Meredith and quickly became serious, making the other interns looked at her confused.

"Dr. Grey, hi" – Murphy said, embarrassed.

"Are these two new interns, Murphy?" – Meredith asked and when Murphy nodded yes, she smiled and continued. – "Good to know." – Meredith just entered the elevator, leaving Murphy and the two interns froze without reaction.

"Was that a good thing?" – One of them asked.

"She is Arizona Robbins' girlfriend, now. I mean, for over a year. So I'm guessing that wasn't good at all" – Murphy said and left the two alone.

When Arizona and Meredith finally crossed paths, Arizona could tell her girlfriend didn't have a friendly look on her face.

"I guess you heard the news already, haven't you?" – Arizona said trying to show a little smile and break the ice.

"Oh, I heard it. And I heard in from the best way possible" – Meredith answered, angrily.

"Did you talk to Boswell?" – Arizona asked, trying to figure it out.

"I didn't have to, apparently Murphy knows well enough about her life and yours, also the new interns are aware of that too. I guess it's only me, who happens to be your girlfriend, that didn't know much of your connection with Dr. Boswell." – Meredith said and started to walk away leaving Arizona looking confused, but walking after her.

"What do you mean 'my connection'? You did know the story, Mer. I get that you're upset she's working here, and so am I, but I didn't know she was coming! I was as surprised as you." – Arizona tried to explain the situation.

"I thought she was just the woman you slept with while you were married to Callie" – Meredith said, typing on a tablet about a patient, avoiding Arizona's eyes.

"Yes, she is. Am I missing something here?" – Arizona was truly lost.

"Missing something? Don't you know that she can't forget you? And apparently, neither can Murphy. How pleasant was hearing it all from her" – Meredith sounded really upset.

"Babe, would you please look at me? I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't spoken to Boswell since that day. She called me a few times after that but I never answered, we had absolutely no contact since. I would've told you if we did, of course. I don't even know how Murphy could possibly know this." – Arizona explained herself, squeezing Meredith's hand, who was still looking upset.

"Do I need to worry about this woman working here? Or about Murphy, for god's sake?" – Meredith asked.

"Absolutely not, honey." – Arizona hugged Meredith, kissing her neck and her cheek in sequence.

They were heading to opposite sides, so they said their goodbyes, exchanging smiles, which made Arizona relieved. The last thing she needed was getting into a fight with Meredith because of Lauren. She didn't want to go backwards to years ago when Lauren messed up her life.

A little annoyed, Arizona knocked on Bailey's office door and opened up, waiting for the Chief to look up to her.

"Robbins, can I help you?" – Bailey said, while was signing some papers.

"You know, a little heads up would've been nice, Bailey" – Arizona pointed out.

"Are we talking about Dr. Boswell?" – Bailey asked, now looking to the blonde.

"Is there anyone else I should worry about too?" – Arizona asked sarcastically and shrugged when Bailey remained in silence. – "Miranda, I know that look".

"We're receiving a master case from Germany and Boswell was already the doctor dealing with the case in long-distance. She made a proposal to use our resources and it sounded good to everyone. I was trying to tell everybody at the meeting this morning before the fire." – Bailey explained.

"Well, but I'm sure you knew that before this morning, it would've been nice if you'd just let me know beforehand" – Arizona stated.

"I don't do personal, Robbins, and you know that. It was a long time ago, I didn't think it would still be a problem" – Bailey affirmed.

"The only problem is that I was caught blindsided and she's working here for half day and the interns are already gossiping about what happened years ago." – Arizona stated.

"I try not to worry myself about interns gossiping around because I have a lot of work to do and you should do the same, Robbins. But, there is something else, indeed. And for that I will need to discuss with you" – Bailey informed, causing Arizona to shrug.

"What is it?"- Arizona asked.

"Torres called me yesterday. She asked for her job back." – Bailey pointed.

"This day keeps getting better… What did you say?"- Arizona asked, with mixed feelings. She didn't want to see Callie every day at work, especially after her latest revelations, but on the other hand, that would mean having Sofia back in town.

"I said that I can't give her Chief of Ortho, we have someone now. And I also asked her to think about if she was coming back for the job or to cool her head off. This hospital is not a love rehab. She'll have a few days to think about, but I thought you should know and tell me if it's going to be a problem if she's back in here" – Bailey asked with her serious tone but Arizona could tell she was being friendly.

"No, of course not. I just hope she feels the same, we're past all of this, I just want to live my life and if my ex-wife will work at the same place I do, I want it to be a good thing and not a burden" – Arizona vented receiving a compassionate smile from Bailey.


	26. Chapter 26: you've won the hot girl

At home, Meredith was setting up dinner for the kids and Amelia was helping her, while they were talking about the news at Grey Sloan. Amelia thought it was kind of cute seeing her sister that jealous over a woman that Arizona slept just once years ago.

"Well, she was married when they slept together. It wasn't just anyone" – Meredith pointed.

"That doesn't change anything, their marriage wasn't a fairy tale for a long time. Would you just relax Mer, Arizona is in a happy place now with you. And I can keep this Boswell in her place, I am very good at that stuff!" – Amelia quipped.

"What are you gonna do? Threaten her?" – Meredith laughed.

"If I have to" – Amelia joked.

"Mom! Mom! Is mommy coming to dinner with us today?" – Bailey asked Meredith, with kind eyes and a cute smile.

"No, sweetie. She has to work tonight, but she'll see you tomorrow, ok?" – Meredith answered her son, fondling his blonde hair.

In the meantime, at the hospital, Arizona was in the NICU checking on some newborns that were struggling to make it through the night. She asked the nurse to page her if anything changes, any minute would count for them.

Heading to her office to rest a little bit, Arizona bumped into Lauren, who was wandering around the Peds ward.

"Oh, exactly who I was looking for!" – Laura exclaimed.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Boswell?" – Arizona said, stopping by the reception to give the nurse the chart from one of the newborns. – "I'll be in my office if they need me, ok? Thank you, Sasha!" – Arizona said to the nurse.

"Don't you 'Dr. Boswell' me, please. I am pretty sure we can call each other by our first names, right?" – Lauren teased Arizona, who took a deep breath and cleared her throat before she speaks.

"Lauren, I am working since 4 am. Can you please, please, make it easy for me and forget about whatever happened years ago and start over as my colleague? Just Dr. Robbins and Dr. Boswell, fellow surgeons. Can you do that?" – Arizona asked kindly but looking serious into Lauren's eyes.

"I'm not trying to make anything hard. Get some rest and we can talk some other time. Good night, Arizona. I mean, Dr. Robbins." – Lauren teased her again and gave her a smile.

Arizona sat on the couch inside her office and sighed. She didn't think Lauren would take it easy and she couldn't jeopardize her relationship with Meredith. Since Callie's appearance and all of the declarations she made, Meredith was a little distant. Arizona couldn't tell if it was insecurity or if she was fed up of these ghosts from the past. Either way, she was way too much in love with Meredith and wouldn't let anything ruin their relationship.

Remembering how upset she was when she found out about Lauren overhearing the interns, she decided that the best thing would be telling her what Bailey told her earlier. If Callie would accept the offer, Meredith shouldn't be blindsided again. She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed Meredith's number.

M: _Hey, is everything ok?_

A: _Yes, why?_

M: _It's late, honey. I was asleep; the ringing scared me._

A: _Oh, sorry! I didn't realize it was so late. We can talk tomorrow, then._

M: _No, that's ok, I fell asleep on the couch, I should go to bed anyway, what's up?_

A: _Nothing, I was thinking of you, actually._

Arizona suddenly got scared of bringing the subject up and tried to pretend that the call didn't have any purpose.

M: _I'm glad you think of me even when you're pleasing all of those pregnant moms who think you're God._

A: _Haha actually I am all for the newborns tonight, so I don't think you're as important as my pregnant moms_

M: _Ouch. Way to make me feel special._

A: _You know I'm kidding. How are you? And the kids?_

M: _We're all fine. They were good tonight, all in bed without crying. Bailey was asking for you all the time._

A: _I'm dying to see them tomorrow. And to see you, too._

M: _Me too, babe. Are you sure everything's fine? Did you call for any reason in particular?_

A: _I did, but then when you picked up the call I just wanted to hear your voice, that's all._

M: _Are you ok?_

A: _I am. But I want to tell you something that Miranda told me earlier, and I want you to be ok with it too._

M: _What is it?_

A: _She told me that Callie asked for her job back._

M: _You've gotta be kidding me. Seriously?_

A: _She told her that she couldn't offer Chief of Ortho again, but she asked me first if that would be ok for me, otherwise she would deny Callie's request._

M: _And what did you say?_

A: _Mer, I can't live my life based on where Callie does or doesn't want to work before she goes across the country for a new girlfriend. That's her problem, not mine. Not anymore. But the positive side of this is having Sofia back in Seattle. I told Bailey I was fine with whatever she decides._

M: _God, this feels like an endless nightmare. Every time I think I'm going to breathe again, somebody pulls me underwater._

A: _Honey, nobody is pulling you underwater. Don't let Callie be a problem when she isn't one. Aren't we happy? That's our only concern. You and I and everything we're building together_.

M: _It's pretty easy for you to say since all of your ex's suddenly decided to turn the hospital into Arizona Robbins' Conference._

A: _Mer, come on._

M: _You know what? I think I'm going to hang up, I really need to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow._

A: _Are we going to end the night like this? I was trying to give you a heads up, baby. I don't want to fight._

M: _Me neither, that's why we should hang up. Good night, Arizona._

Clearly, this day wasn't going to end. Arizona was feeling bad and lost at the same time. She didn't think Callie would be a problem to Meredith anymore, but apparently, they think differently.

Arizona took a nap of 40 minutes or so and then went to her rounds, earlier than usual. She needed to get out of that hospital as soon as possible and get some proper rest so she could enjoy the afternoon with Bailey and Ellis. Hopefully, after a great day with the kids, she would be able to have a better conversation with Meredith.

It was a little past 8 in the morning when Arizona finished her shift and headed home. In the meantime, Meredith was a little grumpy and impatient with the interns, especially the two women who were talking to Murphy that day about Arizona and Lauren. She was acting Medusa all over again and it needed Amelia to calm her off a little.

"Jesus, I thought you were going to make that girl cry. What's going on?" – Amelia asked, taking her sister to a supply room so they could have some privacy.

"I'm just having a bad day, ok?" –Meredith stated.

"Well, I can see that. Care to share why?" – Amelia asked.

"It's Arizona. We had a fight." – Meredith confessed.

"I hate being the one to tell you that, but fighting is part of the deal, you know? It happens but then you work it out." – Amelia quipped.

"Callie asked for her job back in here" – Meredith said, making Amelia look surprised.

"She did? How'd you know?" – Amelia asked, intrigued.

"Bailey told Arizona, she wanted to make sure Arizona would be fine if Callie came back. And guess what? She said it was fine." – Meredith pointed, sarcastically.

"And that's a bad thing why?" – Amelia asked, now looking lost on the revelation.

"Can you imagine a scenario where Callie working near Arizona would be fine?" – Meredith asked, angrily.

"To be honest, I would be worried if Arizona had said it wasn't fine. That would mean that she might be uncomfortable having Callie around and we're just uncomfortable if something still has some influence over us." – Amelia stated, trying to make Meredith have another point of view.

"She said that Callie's choices are not her business, but that would mean have Sofia back in here, so she's actually happy about it" – Meredith confessed.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from. They were married, they have a child, Callie left her and moved to NY, she was a mess. But since then, Arizona found something good for her. And that's you. So stop worrying about Callie or whatever. Arizona is hot, you can't change that, so you might have to control this jealousy. She loves you, dumb ass!" – Amelia said, laughing and hugging Meredith who was smiling too.

"I hope you're right." – Meredith sighed.

"I'm always right!" – Amelia joked.

"She is hot, isn't she?" – Meredith asked, laughing.

"Yep. You've won the hot girl, sister!" – Amelia pointed.


	27. Chapter 27: you're the one leaving

The conversation with Amelia made Meredith feel much better. She wasn't recognizing this new self, full of insecurity and jealousy; it frequently made her feel like a teenager. But at the same time, she was feeling like everything was fresh and great like a first love. Arizona caused her all those kind of feelings and she needed to put an end to these annoying little fights. For what was worth, she needed to show Arizona that even though there were women wanting her, she wouldn't give up on her girlfriend without a good fight.

In the afternoon, Arizona stopped by Meredith's to spend some time with Bailey and Ellis, since Maggie left earlier from the hospital and brought them home. Bailey couldn't contain his happiness when he saw Arizona. He jumped on her and just stopped the endless talking when she put her "tickling monster" off to attack him. They were having a blast. Ellis was starting to develop so much talking now and was repeating all the colors over and over again, making Arizona smile with pride. What a beautiful family she had and how much she wished Sofia could've been there too. She kept thinking about the summer plans she and Meredith talked about. Maybe it would be really good for them and the kids to have a little family trip and forget about the last unpleasant news at the hospital.

Sofia's birthday was just around the corner, at the beginning of May and since they would be apart, she thought the trip would be a great opportunity for Arizona to make a remarkable celebration to her daughter and compensate for all of those months they were apart, including the real birthday.

Still feeling unsure of how Meredith would be when she gets home from the hospital, Arizona decided to go home before dinner time, making Bailey cry a lot without wanting to say goodbye.

"Mommy, why are you leaving me again? Was I a bad boy?" – the little boy barely could speak, with all the sobbing.

"Of course not, honey. You are the best boy ever! My best boy! I'm not leaving you, ok? I just need to go to my house tonight but how about we schedule another day for us to spend together and you can choose to do whatever you want, is that a deal?" – Arizona answered him, trying hard not to let the tears show up.

Meredith left the hospital that night thinking about her relationship and how much she treasured it. She'd really hope Arizona would still be at her house when she'd arrive, so she could apologize and end the fight. To her surprise, she found a sad Bailey instead. Maggie explained his tantrum over Arizona leaving and making Meredith feels even worse.

In the meantime, at home, Arizona was also thinking about Meredith and how she wish they could just let the past behind and focus on their future together, with the kids. Meredith surely wasn't the easiest person to date, but she definitely was worth the effort. All of the sweet illusions of an everlasting love somehow seemed so possible when she pictured Meredith in her mind. The feeling of comfort sleeping by her side, the amazing sensation of seeing her smile first thing in the morning, the incomparable pleasure of hearing the kids' voices giggling around the house. The feeling of becoming part of something that seemed impossible for so long. That was way more than just a relationship, it was the truly meaning of love.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like fate had the same plans for them.

The next day looked like just like any other. The alarm went off. They woke up – each one in their own houses. Arizona wasn't feeling like having breakfast. Meredith was determined to find her girlfriend as soon as possible to make a mend and go back to being in Arizona's arms again.

Arizona arrived at the hospital and went straight to her office, she had a surgery that afternoon and needed to look over a few notes she was making through that week.

As soon as she entered the office, a giant bouquet of red roses surprised her in her desk. A nurse knocked on the door, which was half closed, and informed her:

"Those flowers arrived early in the morning for you, Dr. Robbins. I took the liberty of putting in your desk so it would be protected"

"Sure, thank you, Anne. Who sent it? Do you know?" – Arizona asked with a sweet smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I just signed the paper for the delivery guy" – The nurse said and closed the door, leaving Arizona smiling alone smelling the roses.

She found a small note inside and opened, certain that would be some sweet message from her girlfriend.

 _I love you._

That was it. And it was just enough. It was all that Arizona needed to start the day, a large dose of happiness and love from the woman she loved so much.

Meredith arrived at the hospital a few minutes later and asked around for Arizona. Wilson said she saw the blonde entering her office first thing in the morning due to the surgery they would perform in the afternoon. Meredith smiled and thanked Jo, heading to Arizona's office like a thunder. She just wanted to apologize and kiss her. She needed that; she needed Arizona.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" - Meredith said while entering Arizona's office and took her about 10 seconds looking at the gorgeous bouquet of red roses the blonde was holding.

"You're the best, babe. I really love you!" - Arizona said with a huge grin on her face, looking at Meredith.

"What is this?" - Meredith asked, confused.

"What do you mean?" - Arizona asked and immediately felt a chill down her spine. Meredith didn't send those flowers and that was beyond awkward.

"Who sent you those flowers?" - Meredith asked, sounding suspicious.

"I-I thought it was you. The note only said _I Love You_ " - Arizona tried to explain, realizing that the flowers were from Lauren.

"You know my writing Arizona, you knew it wasn't me who sent you this." - Meredith was losing her temper.

"Of course I know your writing, but it could've been someone from the flower shop who wrote over the phone and delivered here. Why would I be happy if I didn't think it was from you?" - Arizona pointed.

"Oh my God, Lauren sent you this? How could you?" - Meredith was pacing around the office with her hands in her head.

"How could I? What do you mean? The flowers were here at my desk. I didn't do anything Meredith. Why are you mad at me?" - Arizona was also angry about Meredith's reaction to it.

"Why do you think she would even consider sending you flowers like that, out of the blue? What is going on, Arizona?" - Meredith was crying.

"Nothing's going on, she is obsessed with this idea, I have nothing to do with it, I asked her, clearly, to treat me as her colleague and nothing else. Do you think I would encourage her to send me flowers at the hospital?" - Arizona shouted. Both women seemed pissed off and were becoming louder.

"Well, it wasn't much harder a while ago to fall for her charm, was it?" - Meredith asked, sarcastically.

"Don't do this, Meredith. Don't go there." - Arizona asked, now crying too.

"Why? It's easy for you, Arizona. Your so-called competition is dead, right? I have nobody lining up for me right now. I don't receive flowers from Derek's grave, do I? - Meredith could help her tears.

"You didn't have to stoop so low. I don't deserve this. I'm done, Meredith. I'm done having to prove you all the time that I am with you, that I love you, that you're important to me. No matter what I do or what I said, you always think I'm hiding something or seeing someone else behind your back. I can't do this; I can't be in a relationship by myself. I'm done. We're done." – Arizona said in tears.

"Yeah, that sounds like you, running away when things get hard, again, right?" – Meredith said with disbelief.

"Me? You are the one who ran away twice!" – Arizona shouted.

"You went to DC, for God's sake! Where are you heading now? New York? Maybe see if Callie really meant what she said at the airport?" – Meredith couldn't contain her rage.

"No, Meredith. You're the one leaving. Right now. Leave my office, please. I think we're done talking. We're just… we're done. Leave, please." – Arizona said, with tears rolling down through her cheeks.

Meredith left the room, trying to wipe her eyes.


	28. Chapter 28: she asked me to leave

Five minutes after Meredith left her office, Arizona got herself together and went looking for Lauren, seeing the other doctor talking with Murphy in front of the elevator.

"Dr. Boswell!" – Arizona shouted and Lauren pretended not to hear the blonde.

"Lauren. Lauren! I need to talk to you. Now!" – Arizona said pulling Lauren's arm and didn't worry about people watching and hearing them, since she wasn't calm or kept her voice down for any minute.

"Listen up, 'cause I'm going to say this only once: if you talk to me, or about me, or even think about my face for anything other than a medical consult, ever again, I swear to God you're not only gonna get fired but I will also make sure you never work in any hospital of this country again. Ever! Don't you ever talk to me again, do you understand?" – Arizona was screaming furiously and when she was done; she let go Lauren's arm and walked away.

Lauren tried to call her out and started to follow her, but Karev stopped right in front of her, since he saw the scene before.

"Dude, let her go." - Alex said and Lauren insisted on walking in her direction, so he had to block her way. – "Dr. Boswell, you heard her. Walk away. Now!"

Amelia heard Arizona's altered voice from inside a patient's room and stepped out to see what was going on. After Arizona went away, she sighed knowing that this explosion must have something to do with Meredith, since she had a conversation with her sister the day before.

Alex ran after Arizona in her office, knowing that his mentor was probably crashed over something since it wasn't like her to burst out like that.

"Alex, please, leave me alone." – Arizona asked, crying.

"What happened over there?" – Alex asked her, closing the door behind him.

"Alex, leave me alone! Get out!" – Arizona started to scream at him, with rage.

"No! I won't leave you alone. You've never left me alone. I won't leave until you're telling me what's going on and until I'm sure you will be fine. So, take your time." - Alex said, firmly.

He wrapped his arms around Arizona and the blonde burst out in tears, sobbing heavily in his shoulder.

"We're over. Meredith and I. We're over" – Arizona explained, barely managing to complete the sentence.

"You'll figure it out. You'll always do." – Alex answered, holding her tight, even though he had no idea why they have broken up.

Meredith was hiding at the parking lot, inside of her car. Some tears were running down her cheeks, but she didn't want to give in, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to stop. She kept thinking about the arguing, Arizona's tears, and her voice, telling they were over. How could she say that? How was she supposed to live now that she have found what is love capable of, even after all of the tragedies she went through. The kids.

 _Damn it._ She thought. Now she couldn't hold her tears anymore. The kids would miss her so much. How she should explain it to them? How do you explain it when you don't understand it yourself?

All that she could think of now was the bouquet. Those damn flowers that made her lose her mind and doubt Arizona's integrity. But even in that awful situation she never thought about ending their relationship. She didn't want to break up. That was something that Meredith couldn't forget nor forgive. Arizona gave up on them.

Amelia was looking for Meredith all over the hospital without success. She knew things were a little rough on the couple, with all the Callie and Lauren drama, but in the end, she was absolutely sure that her sister loved Arizona very much, and that Arizona loved Meredith the same way. Amelia was the queen of running away and hiding her feelings for as long as possible, and that never got her good outcomes. Meredith also had a tendency of hiding and diving into the darkness world of sadness, so she knew she needed to help her before it was too late.

She decided to check if Meredith's car was still at the parking lot and that was how she found her sister.

That scene broke Amelia's heart. Her sister looked devastated inside of her car, crying alone. Slowly she walked towards the car and opened the door on the passenger side.

"I was looking for you all over the hospital. What can I do for you?" – Amelia asked, while held Meredith's hand.

Meredith couldn't answer, she just accepted her sister's hug and continued to sob. Her happiness, that happened even though it seemed impossible a while ago, was vanishing away and now it looked like it was for real.

"Do you want to talk about it? Do you need me to drive you home?" – Amelia insisted, trying to comfort her broken-hearted sister.

"She broke up with me, we broke up. I screwed up again. Why do I keep doing this?" – Meredith asked Amelia.

"What happened? Arizona was screaming at Dr. Boswell on peds ward, I think I've never seen her so angry in my life!" – Amelia commented.

"What did she say to her?" – Meredith lifted up her head from Amelia's shoulder.

"I couldn't hear everything, I was in a patient's room and suddenly heard all the screaming, but from what I could understand, she was demanding that Lauren never speak to her again" – Amelia explained. – "Lauren did something to you?"

"She sent flowers. To Arizona. With a small note that only said 'I Love You'. Arizona thought it was from me and when I saw it, I lost my mind." – Meredith confessed.

"I understand she was completely out of line, but why did you lose your mind over Arizona? Don't you think it was an honest mistake?" – Amelia asked.

"I don't know, I mean, how confident a person must be to send someone flowers with an 'I love you' note when you have absolutely no contact with the person? I figured Arizona was allowing this to happen somehow." – Meredith said, with watered eyes, now reflecting that she actually did screw things up.

"Mer, I can see where your mind went for you to picture this in your head, but Lauren is crazy enough to do that only to tease Arizona. She's that crazy. I just don't understand why did you guys broke up?" – Amelia asked, sadly.

"I've said some pretty bad stuff to her. I said she didn't have a competition because Derek was already dead." – Meredith confessed, embarrassed.

"Oh, Mer… I bet she was pretty upset, then." – Amelia stated, uncertain of what she should say.

"She was, of course. Then I accused her of running away. I never intended for us to break up, I was mad, like really mad, but I didn't want to end it." – Meredith started to cry again.

"I know honey, I know." - Amelia tried to comfort her.

"She said she couldn't do this anymore. She asked me to leave. Why did she ask me to leave, Amelia?" – Meredith burst out in tears again.


	29. Chapter 29: fight against your fear

The rest of the day was awful for both women. Arizona tried to dive in as many surgeries as she could since that was the only way she could focus on something other than Meredith. Although only Karev and Amelia were the ones who saw the fight between Arizona and Lauren, it seemed that somehow everybody knew by the end of the day. The surgeries were awkwardly quiet and nobody tried to make a conversation with Arizona that day. At least she could make the most of it and enjoyed the silence.

She went home and got herself under the covers to finally have a moment to cry it all out. Just like a movie, all of the memories of they together were passing by Arizona's eyes. Meredith's smile, her sweet voice, that soft way she has when she says 'I love you', the way she cuddles when they were watching a scary movie, the twinkling blue eyes that could smile by themselves. Meredith, entirely, was all that Arizona could think about. At the same time, she just felt her heart ache when she thought about the kids. Maybe happiness wasn't made for her anyway, but she could not risk putting those children out to the breakup consequences. It was horrible enough when she divorced Callie, having to build up a whole new world for Sofia. She wouldn't do that again. She wouldn't be able to cause any more pain to anyone.

She was truly hurt by what Meredith has said. Using Derek like that was a mean and heartless thing to do. On the inside, she felt guilty about everything: Callie's confession, Lauren obsession and her own unforgivable history that everyone seemed to remind her of all the time. Meredith didn't feel safe and protected from all of these ghosts and Arizona felt like that was her failure. But, even if that was true, she didn't deserve to be put like the second best thing after Derek, especially because she truly respected her dead friend.

Arizona's thoughts were interrupted by DeLuca knocking on her door. He waited for the blonde's response before opening it, and switch his usually smiley face by a worried one.

"Hey, did something happened?" – DeLuca asked.

"Just a hard day. What's up?" – Arizona replied, wiping her eyes.

"I was going to ask you if you want some Chinese? I ordered now and thought we could have some dinner" – he said, a little uncertain if he should ask what happened or just leave her alone.

"I'm not really hungry, DeLuca, but thank you, it was sweet of you to ask." – Arizona answered, trying not to cry again.

"Ok, I'll leave you some if you'd change your mind later" – he said with a cute smile and left the room, but just a few seconds later he came back. – "I'm here. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here. I just wanted to say that you're not alone, ok?"

"I know, I'm lucky to have you around. It's just that right now it's hurting too much to talk about, so I rather be alone for a while. Maybe tomorrow I'll ask you for that offer again" – Arizona couldn't help but give her roommate a slight smile.

He nodded and left the room and Arizona went back to her thoughts.

On the next morning, Arizona woke up with her phone buzzing with a new text. It was from Meredith. She second guessed if she should open it or not. She was dying to hear anything from her, but at the same time, she knew that a text wouldn't change the fact that they didn't belong to each other – or at least that was what Arizona believed.

She tried without succeeding: she couldn't start the day without seeing that text.

 _I know I was beyond wrong. I know you don't wanna see me right now. I'm so sorry, Arizona. I love you so much._

Arizona held her tears and erased it. They had such a little time together and already had that scene happened in the past. They say something, they regret it and they try to apologize. Sometimes, it's too late to be sorry, the damage is done.

Almost two weeks had passed now since they've broken up. Arizona tried her best to hide inside her office and Meredith was too afraid to reach out for Arizona and try to fix things. Amelia and Maggie were unsure of what they should do, they both knew that Meredith said something unforgivable but at the same time, they were sure that their sister was only too scared of another loss in her life. Fortunately, a patient that arrived on ER forced the two women to face each other again.

A 26-year-old pregnant woman suffered an accident, a massive car crash. She was already in 34 weeks of pregnancy and despite her extensive injuries, she was awake and all she could worry about was her baby. After Meredith and Maggie assure what were her injuries and how long they have until getting her into the OR, they've paged Arizona so she could check on the baby.

"Dr. Pierce, what do we got?" – Arizona asked, ignoring Meredith's presence in the exam room.

"Alana Adams, 26-year-old pregnant, car crash, liver, kidney, and lungs need surgery, but we need to check on the baby" – Maggie answered.

"Hello Alana, I'm Dr. Robbins and I'm going to check on you and your baby, ok? How far are you?" – Arizona asked.

"34 weeks. Please Dr., save my baby. If you have to choose, save my baby, please!" – the patient begged her.

"We're going to take care of both of you, ok? No choosing." – Arizona tried to calm her. – "Ok, I hear the heartbeat, strong and even. Your baby seems just fine, Alana. I'll need a CT to make sure she got no liquid in her abdomen and then you can take her to the OR, I'll scrub in just in case she gets into labor." – she told Pierce, who gave her back a sad look, noticing that she didn't even look at Meredith.

As she walked away from the exam room, Meredith followed her.

"Hey, can we talk? Please?" – Meredith said, grabbing Arizona's arm.

"No, we can't. We both have a pregnant woman with a baby to save" – Arizona said, without looking into Meredith's eyes.

"Arizona, please, this is killing me. We need to talk. We need to work it out!" – Meredith begged her, but the blonde just pulled out her arm and walked away.

In the surgery, things were more complicated than it seemed. The woman's injuries were way too severe and she didn't make it. Arizona headed in and managed to save the baby, a little girl who seemed strong enough to survive.

Even though a life was saved, the three surgeons felt like it was a major defeat. A newborn was brought to the world and wouldn't know her mother.

Arizona ran to her office and tried to rest a little bit. Alex knocked on the door and entered in sequence.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" – he asked Arizona.

"Sure."

"I just wanted to give you an update on the little girl. She's tough. I think she'll be fine within a day or so." – Alex said, smiling.

"Good. That's good, Alex. Thank you" – Arizona answered, with closed eyes, looking exhausted.

"I heard that you don't even wanna talk to Meredith. How badly did she screw up this time?" – Alex asked, sitting right next to her.

"Gosh, people talk so much in this hospital!" – Arizona complained.

"She's my friend too, you know that. But neither of you tell me what's going on!" – Alex stated.

"Well, we don't have anything to talk to each other. She thinks I'm a slut and that I'm not Derek, so, it pretty much sums up where we are now." – Arizona explained with bitterness.

"She doesn't think you're a slut, Arizona. I can guarantee you that! She's just jealous of Lauren!" – Alex exclaimed.

"That's not jealousy Alex. This is her, looking for a reason. A reason for us not working out and she will find it eventually because I am a person full of flaws. I'm always on the spotlight for flaws." – Arizona confessed, with a sad voice, almost crying.

"Why do you think she wants to find any reason?" – Alex asked.

"Because this thing we had, what we've found in each other, after everything we've been through, requires more than just love. Yes, we need love to build a foundation, but that's not enough. So we hold on to our fears and we try to look for any reason to call if off. And then, when we find it, it's not gonna look like it was our fault. Something else happened and we're off the hook, we don't have to fight for happiness anymore. That's what we do, all the time." – Arizona now was crying.

"Well, but if there's a pair in this world who knows about the difficulties of building anything, among all of these tragedies, it's you two. So get your shit together and fight this. Fight against your fear, hers. Show Meredith that maybe love itself it's not enough to keep this alive. But hell, fear isn't enough to end it too. Don't give up." – Alex said, hugging Arizona and comforting her.

'Thanks, Alex." – She thanked him.

"Yeah, anytime." – he answered, kissing the top of her head.


	30. Chapter 30: the flight

Alex definitely made Arizona think about it. She didn't know for sure if she was wrong about her decision to end the relationship, right now she couldn't believe they would work it out, but one thing she couldn't deny: Meredith was not an easy person to give up on. Every time her sweet voice echoed in Arizona's mind, she seemed to forget why they were separated.

 _And that smile. She always talks about my smile, but hers? That tiny scar almost imperceptible, right under her lip, on the right side – that tiny scar that makes her smile even prettier. How can I forget that smile?_

That was Arizona's thought through the morning after her talk with Alex. She was sipping a cup of coffee overly distracted when DeLuca showed up in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Dr. Robbins" – DeLuca greeted her.

"We live together for more than a year and you still call me Dr. Robbins?" – Arizona laughed at him.

"Strength of habit. You seem better." – He pointed out.

"I think my mornings are often better than nights these days. Even though I always considered myself not a morning person" – Arizona explained.

"Are you off today?" – DeLuca asked, a little unsure if he should pursue the subject.

"No, but I don't have to be there before 10 am, so I'm good at time. Are you off?" – Arizona asked, trying to maintain the conversation with him.

"I wish. But hopefully, I'll leave before 8 pm today. I could really use some sleep time" – DeLuca confessed.

"I know what you mean. Hum, are you still on about that offer? Hearing me out?" – Arizona asked a little embarrassed.

"Always. I'm all ears here" – He said, smiling.

"I believe you know by now that Meredith and I broke up, right?" – She asked him and continued after he nodded yes. – "Well, I'm a big mess now. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing"

"Well, you can repeat that to me and yourself how many times you'd like, but there's no right answer here. If what caused the break up was something really bad and unworthy of your consideration and forgiveness, then you would know by now. The question you need to make to yourself is: can we get through this? Do you want to get through this and prepare for whatever else comes? Because that's relationship, you know? It's not gonna be only one mistake, but it's not gonna be this fear of what to do that will end this love. I mean, you really love her, don't you?" – DeLuca asked her.

"I do. I'm just tired of fighting to save things that cannot be saved." – Arizona answered.

"Yes, it's a pretty massive waste of your energy" – DeLuca stated.

"Wait, you got me lost now. Are you telling me to save my relationship or not?" – Arizona was intrigued.

"If it's something that you have to save, then no. It's not worthy. You already save lives, every day, because you are this brilliant doctor. You don't need to save a relationship. Either it exists and it's alive, or it doesn't. Don't waste time saving anything, direct this energy towards better communication, companionship, and support. If you both work on that, then there isn't anything to save, just something that worth investing time in." – DeLuca explained.

"Uau." – Arizona exclaimed.

"What? I-I'm sorry. Said too much?" – DeLuca apologized.

"No! I just never took you for the romantic guy, the wise one when it comes to relationships. That was a great advice, thank you." – Arizona said, smiling.

"Well, there is that say: the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot" – He replied, laughing, referring to his messy relationship with Maggie.

In the meantime, Meredith started her shift early due to a patient that was first on the list of a liver transplant. A 57 years old man, waiting for a liver for four years and finally UNOS found him a match. The problem was: the liver was in Boise, in the same hospital the doctors were going when the plane crash happened. Getting inside a plane was hard enough for Meredith, but make the same route seemed unfair. Bailey and Webber tried to change places with her, but she insisted on going. The only person she could talk about that tragedy wasn't available to her anymore. She had to face it and get it over with.

It was a little after 1 pm when Meredith and Edwards were in their way to get in the van that would lead them to the hangar where they would catch the small airplane to go to Idaho. Just before they exit the hospital, Murphy ran after them calling Edwards.

"Dr. Webber needs you. Big head trauma coming in 5, Amelia's off today!" – Murphy told Edwards who looked confused about what she should do.

"But Dr. Grey needs somebody to go with her to Boise" – Edwards replied.

"I know. Webber told me to go with her" – Murphy told, clearly uncomfortable.

"Edwards, are you coming or not? We need to leave, now!" – Meredith said, entering the van.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Grey, Dr. Webber needs me. Murphy will go with you" – Edwards apologized, she knew it would be beyond awkward for both of them, but there wasn't anything she could do to help it.

Murphy got into the van and remained quiet, waiting for Meredith to say something. She hadn't spoken to her since the day Meredith heard her and the new interns gossiping about Arizona and Lauren, and right now she was feeling nervous about the whole history of Boise and the plane crash. It would be hard enough taking the plane with Meredith hating her with all of her guts, but fearing another tragedy was just horrible.

On the other hand, Meredith was less scared about the flight, concentrating all of her energy envisaging Murphy. She knew that Murphy probably knew about her and Arizona being over now, but Meredith still acted like she was Arizona's girlfriend.

While they were already on the plane on their way to Boise, Arizona couldn't hide her concern about Meredith on that flight. It was unlikely to happen another accident like theirs, but she couldn't help the fear. Especially with so many things she needed to say to Meredith after her talk with DeLuca. Maybe he was right after all: she didn't need to save the relationship; she just needed to invest in it. And hope that Meredith would do the same.

After asking April a couple of times, Arizona could finally sit down and eat something when she heard that they've landed fine and were already on the OR getting the liver from the donor.


	31. Chapter 31: a mom's nightmare

It was around 5 pm now and Arizona was finishing the last visits to her post-op patients and planning to go home early. In the meantime, on the pit, a 5 year-old boy was taken in after getting hit by a car. The kid was awake and agitated, asking for his mom desperately. One of the interns was the first doctor to see him.

"Hello, sweetie, I'm Dr. Headley, what's your name?" – The new intern asked him.

"I want my mom! Please call my mom, she works here!" – the little boy begged her.

"We will call your mom, but you need to stay calm so we can check if you have any hurts in your body, ok?" – Dr. Headley tried to calm the kid.

"Just my arm hurts, I need my mom, call my mom, she's a doctor!" – the kid was asking and crying.

"Ok, ok, tell me your name and your mom's name and I'll ask someone to bring her here, ok?" – the doctor was kind with him, she knew he must've been scared.

"I'm Bailey Shepherd" – the boy said, revealing his identity.

At this time, the intern was shocked, thinking he was Amelia's son since she didn't know about Derek Shepherd being married to Meredith. When April saw the boy, she immediately ran to him.

"Hi, Bailey, what happened?" – April asked him, indicating to Dr. Headley that she knew the boy. – "Is Dr. Grey back yet?" – she asked the intern, whispering.

"No, I don't think so. Is he Dr. Shepherd's son?" – the intern asked Kepner.

"Not Amelia Shepherd's. He's Derek Shepherd's kid. Page Dr. Edwards, now!" – April ordered, while was closing the curtains trying to calm the boy.

"Please Aunt April call my mom!" – Bailey asked again.

"Sweetie, your mom had to go to another hospital help with something and she'll be back soon, but I'm going to call your aunts, ok?" – April explained to him.

"Call my other mom! I want my moms, call my moms!" – He screamed when Edwards and Dr. Headley entered the room.

"Is he Dr. Robbins' son too?" – the intern was quite confused.

"Ok, you – check him, get an x-ray and ortho here, please, he broke his arm. Edwards, go find Robbins, he's asking for her." – Kepner ordered.

"But Dr. Kepner, I-I don't know if Dr. Grey would want Robbins to…." – she got cut by Kepner.

"Edwards, I said go. Now!"

A gasping and pale Edwards approached her on the peds ward and found Arizona returning the tablet to one of the nurses.

"Dr. Robbins, can you come with me to the ER?" – Edwards asked her, trying not to freak her out.

"Uh, sorry Edwards. I was just finishing up. Can Wilson check it for you? She's on my service today." – Arizona answered, with a tired face.

"Dr. Robbins, I really need you to come with me, please" – Edwards asked her again and now Arizona could sense something was wrong.

"What? What happened? Is it the flight? What happened?" – Arizona was becoming nervous.

"No, it's not the flight. But you need to come with me" – Edwards was scared to say what happened and Arizona loses her mind.

"Edwards, you're freaking me out, what's wrong? Tell me, please!" – Arizona was clearly nervous now.

"It's Bailey" – Edwards said, timidly.

"What's wrong with Miranda?" – Arizona asked, worried.

"No, it's not Dr. Bailey. It's Bailey, your son. Dr. Grey's son!" – She answered and quickly tried to correct when she called him Arizona's son.

"Oh my God, what happened? Where is him? Is he ok? Did someone called Meredith yet?" – Arizona didn't know which way to go, she started to pace around until Edwards grabbed her arm and took her to the ER.

When Bailey saw the blonde, he stopped crying immediately.

"Mommy!" – the boy exclaimed, relieved to see her.

"Honey, what happened? Oh my God, are you ok? Did you get hurt?" – Arizona said fondling his head, and then turned to the intern. – "What happened to him? Did you page someone else?"

"Dr. Robbins, he got hit by a car, he seems fine, vitals ok, Dr. Kepner saw him too, and I already called Ortho, it looks like he just got a broken arm." – Dr. Headley explained.

"Bailey, how that happened? Does your arm hurts, honey?" – Arizona had tears on her eyes, feeling like her heart started beating again once she saw him alive.

"I was leaving school and I thought I saw your car on the other side of the street so I ran, but it wasn't you" – the boy explained sadly.

"Oh, sweetie. You know you can't run in the street, especially alone. We've talked about this so many times. You scared me!" – Arizona knew she needed to reprehend the boy, but she was so relieved that it was kind of impossible to do.

"I'm sorry mommy. I miss you." – Bailey said looking into Arizona's eyes.

"I miss you too, sweetie. I miss you every day. Don't you scare me like that ever again, ok? Do you promise me?" – Arizona was crying.

Just a few minutes later, the new ortho resident arrived to check on Bailey. Arizona had only seen him once or twice, since he came from Germany recently. He was quite nice and a little shy, seemed younger than he was, in fact, and had really terrific recommendations from his older chief in DRK Kliniken.

"Hello, I believe you're Bailey, right?" – Dr. Klinsmann asked the little boy giving him a large smile. – "I am Dr. Klinsmann, but you can call me Thomas, ok?"

"Hi, Dr. Thomas" – Bailey greeted him.

"No 'doctor' needed. What do we have in here? Is it your arm, correct?" – the young resident kept asking him while pretended to check on the wrong arm, just to make the little boy giggles.

"Dr. Robbins, is he your son?" – the resident asked, making Arizona take a deep breath before answering since Bailey was holding her hand and waiting for her to confirm she was his mother.

"Yes, he's Dr. Grey's son too, but she's in Boise with a liver donor, so I want to make sure everything's fine before she comes back. Do you think he'll need surgery?" – Arizona asked the doctor.

"I'm afraid so, unfortunately. He had a huge fracture right here" – he said pointing to the film. – "But it will be a real quick and easy surgery, don't worry. In a few days, Bailey would be ready to play around your house again"

"How soon can you do the surgery, then?" – Arizona asked, still unsure of how capable this resident was. She has been used to have Callie as her master in whatever ortho problem that appeared, but she couldn't call her to ask for a second opinion.

"The sooner, the better. As soon as the medications start to lose their effects he's going to be in pain. But, of course, we can wait for Dr. Grey"- Dr. Klinsmann affirmed.

Arizona nodded yes to that, Meredith should be there before her son goes to the OR, since he wasn't in any life risk at the moment. She asked Dr. Bailey and Dr. Webber to take the liver surgery as soon as Meredith arrives, so she wouldn't be stuck in the OR for hours before knowing what happened with the boy.

Arizona and Thomas transferred Bailey to a room on Peds ward, so the boy could be prepped and settle since he would need to stay at the hospital for a few days after the surgery to recover.


	32. Chapter 32: things happen

Less than an hour later, Meredith arrived at Grey Sloan with the liver and Dr. Bailey intercepted her halfway to the OR where her patient was already being prepped.

"Dr. Grey, I will start the surgery. I need you to go to Peds right now" – Bailey said to her.

"Peds? Can't somebody else do that? He's my patient" – Meredith said, confused about the Chief's order.

"Grey, last time I checked I was still Chief of Surgery. If I need you to go somewhere else in here, you do it. Go find Robbins, she needs to speak to you" – Bailey said firmly, taking the cooler with the organ from Meredith's hand.

"Bailey, I'm not going to lose a surgery to deal with personal issues with Arizona now." – Meredith pointed, unsatisfied.

"It's not that, Grey. Can you please go there? If you want, you can scrub in later, after talking to her. Am I clear?" – Bailey said, finishing the arguing.

Meredith took the elevator and left on peds floor, still confused about what Bailey had just ordered her to do. She approached a nurse in the desk and asked for Arizona. The nurse immediately paged her, who appeared right after.

"Bailey told me to look for you, do you need a consult?" – Meredith was extremely confused since Arizona was also a general surgeon and she wouldn't need such an urgent consult from her like that.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I know you had an important surgery, but I needed to talk to you first. Bailey, your Bailey, had a small accident this afternoon…" – Arizona couldn't finish the sentence because Meredith cut her.

"What? What happened? Why didn't anyone called me?" – Meredith now seemed even more confused.

"Hey, hey, calm down! He's fine, he broke his right arm, I'm with him since he arrived in here and I thought that it would be better wait for you to get out of that plane to receive the news. Don't worry, Mer, I'm with him all the time, ok? He's fine." – Arizona said, holding Meredith's hand.

"Did he fell? How's that happened?" – Meredith asked, with watered eyes, but feeling comfort from Arizona's hand and her sweet voice.

"He got hit by a car. I don't know how he left school by himself and nobody saw him, but he's fine. He's medicated and he needs a small surgery. Dr. Klinsmann seemed very confident and told me that it will be a quick one. I asked him to wait for you before taking him to the OR, so you should go there, he's on 3248. I will page Klinsmann so he can speak to you about it." – Arizona said, rubbing Meredith's arm up and down.

"Oh my God. He's only five. How he can get hit by a car?" – Meredith was desolated.

"Things happen, babe. Come here, don't worry, ok? He will be just fine!" – Arizona said, wrapping her arms around Meredith, who put her head on the blonde's shoulder and cried a little.

"Can you go there with me? On his room?" – Meredith asked Arizona, who nodded yes.

"Hey, honey, look who's here to see you!" – Arizona said to Bailey who opened up a huge smile.

"Mommy!" – the little boy exclaimed when he saw Meredith.

"Oh, honey, what happened?" – Meredith said, kissing the boy on the forehead.

"I've bumped into a car, mom. I'm sorry" – Bailey answered.

"Yes, he's sorry and he already promised me that he won't ever scare us like that again, right Bailey?" – Arizona said, winking at him.

"Well, I really hope you'll keep your word, young man." – Meredith said, smiling to the kid, who smiled back.

A few minutes later Dr. Klinsmann arrived and started prepping the boy for the surgery. Seeing both of his moms there was enough to keep him calm and peaceful to go to the OR when usually kids are a little bit harder to accept it.

After they left, Meredith started to cry, as she was in a mix of worry and relief. Arizona hugged her again and whispered in her ear that everything would be fine.

Meredith wanted to be on that embrace forever, she missed her so much. Her smell, her soft skin, her heavenly voice and those big blue eyes that made Meredith feel like she could be lost in them for the eternity. She was terrified that this embrace would disappear soon again.

"Why don't you go take Ellis home, see Zola and then put them in bed. He will be in surgery for a couple of hours and I am here. I'll call you if anything changes, and you can rest a little bit too. I can only imagine how stressed out you must be by getting on that plane, going to that hospital, all over again." – Arizona suggested.

"I can't, I can't leave him. I'm feeling the worst mom already." – Meredith said with sad eyes.

"Hey, stop it. You know you're a great mom. This was an accident. It's not anyone's fault, ok? If you want to come and spend the night here, it's ok. But go home, go see your girls, take a shower, eat something. When you arrive in here he'll be still asleep. I won't leave his room for a second, I promise you." – Arizona said, holding Meredith's hand tight.


	33. Chapter 33: will you trust me now?

Meredith decided to take on Arizona's advice and went home with Ellis, spend some time with her and Zola, and take some fresh clothes to Bailey since he would stay at the hospital for at least a few days. In the meantime, Arizona was still in his room waiting for the kid to leave the surgery. She couldn't bear watching it at the gallery. As soon as DeLuca heard about Bailey's accident, he went looking for Arizona.

"Hey, I just heard about Bailey. How is he?"- DeLuca asked her.

"He's fine, he broke his arm, but it could've been way worse. I thought you were leaving earlier today" – Arizona said to him.

"Yeah, I was leaving now, but Jo told me and Karev what happened. He went straight to the OR to assist the surgery and I was looking for you. What do you need? Any patients to check on? How can I help?" – DeLuca asked her.

"Thanks, Andrew. It's fine. Wilson's on call tonight and Meredith will be here soon, so I can start my shift in the morning. You go home and rest!" – Arizona said to him.

"No way, once Meredith is here you can rest. I'll have a nap in some on call room and I'll take rounds for you. Don't worry about work these days, we got it all covered for you" – DeLuca insisted.

"No, you're in this hospital for days now, DeLuca, you need to rest. I'm fine, as soon as he leaves the surgery I'll be better, knowing he's ok. I mean it!" – Arizona explained to him.

"Well, I meant it too. You're not working today nor tomorrow. Wilson and I will cover Neonatal and Karev got Peds. You stay with your family and call me if you need anything, ok?" – DeLuca insisted and kissed her forehead.

Arizona felt lucky to have such good friends and colleagues. She wouldn't convince DeLuca about it so she accepted the offer. A while after that, Bailey returned from surgery with Dr. Klinsmann and Karev, that seemed to have become friends in the OR.

"How is he? How is his arm?" – Arizona asked like any desperate mother used to.

"He's fine, Dr. Robbins, the surgery was great. He'll be as good as new in a few weeks. Your bodyguard here made sure I wouldn't screw up in there!" – Dr. Klinsmann said, smiling.

"Alex, what did you do?" – Arizona said, laughing, while was fondling Bailey's blond hair.

"I needed to assure that this little man would go home with two good arms. But Thomas is really great, actually. He sucks at choosing sports, but is a great surgeon" – Alex said, laughing and teasing his new friend.

The two doctors left the room and Arizona stayed in there, waiting for the little boy to wake up, she knew he would be a little dizzy from the anesthesia and wanted to make sure that he would feel safe seeing that she was around. The surgery took less time than she expected, but she chose not to call Meredith just yet, so the woman could do her things in her time. That way, once she gets there, she would already see her son fine and awake.

"Mom… mom…" – Arizona's thoughts were interrupted by the boy.

"Hi, sweetie! How are you feeling? You did great in surgery, the doctors were amazed by how strong and brave you were!" – Arizona said to him, with a huge smile.

"Was I?" – the boy asked her.

"You were. Are you feeling good? Any pain in the arm?" – Arizona asked.

"I'm fine. When can I go home? Are you going home?"- Bailey asked.

"Well, honey, you'll have to stay here in the hospital for a few days, just for the doctors make sure your arm will recovery well, ok? But I'm not leaving and your mom is arriving soon" – Arizona explained to him.

"But how long do I need to stay? Am I going to stay here for my birthday?" – Bailey asked.

"No, honey. You'll be home for your birthday, don't worry!" – Arizona calmed him.

"But do you know when it's my birthday?" – The boy was being cheeky now.

"Of course I know when it's your birthday!" – Arizona answered him, smiling.

"When is it then?" – the boy was giggling.

"It's May 29th, little man! But now tell me, when it's my birthday, mister?" – Arizona said, playfully.

"Humm… it's tomorrow!" – the boy said, giggling because he had no idea.

"Oh, tomorrow? So you better have a great party planned for me then!" – Arizona said, tickling him.

Meredith could hear her son's giggles by the end of the hall and that made her feel calm. She stopped by the room's door and observed how much her son adores Arizona and how much she loved him too. They always had the best time together, that 5-year-old boy didn't look like he just got out of surgery.

"Whose party is tomorrow?" – Meredith entered the room smiling, seeing the two of them having a blast.

"Apparently it's mine, right Bailey? Can I expect a big cake tomorrow?" – Arizona asked him.

"I forgot the day, but I know it's not on Christmas!" – Bailey said.

"Well, you're right about that. It's way before Christmas!" – Arizona said and looked at a smiling Meredith, feeling blessed by the chance of having them back, at least for that day. – "This little man was incredibly brave on the surgery and it all went well. He'll be out of here in a week or so!" – Arizona said to Meredith, who gave Bailey a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you, for watching him, for everything. Now, it's late, honey. Aren't you sleepy?" – Meredith thanked Arizona and asked her son next.

"Can you read Mr. Doggy for me?" – The boy asked for his favorite book.

Arizona tried to leave the room but Bailey asked her to stay there until he fell asleep. Meredith was reading the book and smiling to Arizona at the same time, seeing how she made little games with him.

After Bailey fell asleep, Meredith asked Arizona if they could talk outside the room.

"I just really wanted to thank you for today" – Meredith said, holding Arizona's hand.

"You don't need to thank me, Mer. You know I would do anything for him, I'm just glad he's fine, safe now" – Arizona said, smiling.

"I know, but after everything that happened between us I thought that maybe you…" – Meredith got interrupted by Arizona.

"No, stop it, let's leave this behind us, ok? I'm here for whatever you both need me." – Arizona said, calmly.

"Are you going home now?" – Meredith asked.

"No, of course not. I'll stay in the hospital if you need anything." – Arizona answered.

"Do you feel like sharing an overly small couch with me tonight?" – Meredith asked her, smiling.

Arizona nodded yes and they entered Bailey's room again, cuddling on the couch. For a moment, it seemed like nothing bad had happened to them. Arizona didn't want to talk about it; first, because it wasn't the right time, all that mattered was Bailey's health; but second because she was afraid that they might fight again, and being with her, like that, was so good, she didn't want to risk it. On the other hand, Meredith had so many things to say to her, that she was feeling like she could explode at any minute. She wanted to apologize, to ask for Arizona's forgiveness, to say that she loved her, so much.

They stayed cuddled for a while, Arizona was running her hand through Meredith's hair and eventually kissing her head. Meredith kept Arizona's hand entwined in hers, rubbing her thumb through Arizona's soft skin, smelling that heavenly perfume of hers, trying to pause the time so they could stay like this forever.

"I would give anything for your forgiveness" – Meredith said, in a lower voice.

"Mer, we don't need to do this now, ok? I'm not here to make you feel like you need to apologize" – Arizona pointed.

"I feel like I need to apologize every second of my life, Arizona. You can't even imagine how much this hurts, how much it hurts to know that I've failed us. I love you so much, I've dreamed of us like this so many times, and I'm here falling apart on the inside because maybe tomorrow you won't be here with me. So, I need to say I'm sorry because I am sorry. And I need to say that I love you more than I ever thought I could." – Meredith said with teary eyes, looking to Arizona's face.

"I don't want you to feel like that, I don't want you to be hurt. I'm sorry for the ways things happened to us. You know that I love you too, more than I can express it with words" – Arizona said, almost crying too.

"Can you give me a second chance? Please? We can start slowly if you want. I will be a better person to you, I promise you that. Just say that you'll think about it, at least. I understand if you don't want to. I promise you I'll leave you alone if you think about it and decide that I'm not worthy of a second chance. But if you could think, at least for a while, if you could just remember that I love you and that I'm an idiot that let you go, maybe you find that we can start this over. I mean, I know…" – Meredith was babbling nervously when Arizona interrupted her.

"Would you let me answer sometime?" – Arizona said, smiling.

"Yes. I'm sorry" – Meredith said, with her heart pounding in her chest. – "I babble when I'm nervous"

"Will you trust me now?" – Arizona asked her.

"I do trust you already, Arizona." – Meredith answered, taking the blonde's hand.

"No, you don't. For whatever reasons you've got, somehow you're always ready for see me walking away from you. So, I need to know if this time you'll trust me, because babe, I can't go through this again, I want us to be a good thing." – Arizona said staring into Meredith's eyes.

Meredith leaned forward and kissed her, so passionately, like they were apart for a lifetime. It sure felt like that.


	34. Chapter 34: you made me feel worthy

A few days have passed now, Bailey was ready to go home, and things seemed a lot better between Meredith and Arizona. Meredith just did a few consults during those days, splitting her time between Bailey and the other kids. She surely was insecure about her role as a mother these days. Arizona went back to her regular shifts and surgeries, but she was being a great help to Meredith and the kids. Although they seemed better and willing to start over, they still haven't had a moment to sleep together and make up for all the lost time.

Excited to give Bailey the news, Arizona entered his room while he was playing with Zola and Meredith.

"It looks like someone can go home today!" – Arizona exclaimed.

"Is it true mommy? Can I really go home?" – Bailey asked Arizona.

"You can, but you still need to keep the cast for a week, ok? No harsh plays, mister!" – Arizona said, receiving a hug from the little boy. – "Mer, can I talk to you for a sec outside?"

"Sure. What's wrong?" – Meredith asked her, while they exited the room

"I just wanted to let you know that Amelia is coming to help you take the kids home and she agreed to babysit them tonight if you feel like unwinding a little. I thought we could have some dinner, maybe" – Arizona asked her, a little unsure why she blushed a little, it's not like she hadn't done that before.

"Can I do a counter offer?" – Meredith asked her, smiling.

"No, forget it, I'm an idiot, Bailey is leaving the hospital today, doesn't make sense for us to go out tonight" – Arizona said, a little nervous.

"It looks like I'm not the only one who babbles when I'm nervous, right? Would you listen to me, beautiful lady?" – Meredith said, playful.

"Yes, I'm listening." – Arizona replied.

"I've promised Zola that we would make dinner together for Bailey once he leaves the hospital, so I would like to invite you over to have dinner with us, and after they go to bed, we can go out and do something just the two of us. How do you feel about it?" – Meredith asked, holding Arizona's hand.

"It sounds perfect. Thanks for the invitation. Now, I need to hurry up because I have surgery in 20 minutes. I call you later, ok?" – Arizona said, kissing Meredith quickly.

"Hey. Wait." – Meredith called her, grabbing her hand.

"What?" – Arizona asked.

"I love you" – Meredith said with passionate eyes.

"I love you too" – Arizona said, not resisting her girlfriend's smile and look, wrapping her arms around Meredith's neck and kissing her, this time slowly and deeper.

Meredith and Zola were very excited to cook dinner for the whole family, although Maggie was on call and would miss it. Amelia was in the living room playing with Ellis and Bailey, who was feeling a little sleepy, while the other two were being silly in the kitchen. When Arizona arrived, Bailey ran to her, as usual, and immediately seemed to be more awake than ever. The boy truly loved Arizona.

Arizona went to the kitchen to observe Meredith and Zola making a huge mess in there, and couldn't contain her smile. This sensation of being part of that family was the best feeling Arizona could ask for. If Sofia was there with her, she could define everything as perfection.

"You two seemed very handful in there" – Arizona said, playfully.

"Mom and I are making Bailey's favorite!" – Zola said, excited.

"Oh, really? And what is it?" – Arizona asked, fondling the girl's head.

"Mac and cheese!" – the girl answered while Arizona kissed her on the cheek.

Meredith kissed Arizona and asked her to be in the living room with Amelia and the kids, while they finished everything.

Ellis and Bailey seemed very interested in some silly cartoon Amelia turned on the TV. In fact, she seemed very interested in it, too. Sometimes she looked like she was Meredith's fourth kid.

"Did he complain about any pain today?" – Arizona asked Amelia.

"No, he seems fine. Still can't believe that this happened. It just takes one minute of distraction" – Amelia said and had Arizona agreeing with her.

"Hey, I was wanting to talk to you actually. About Meredith. I mean, about all of this. It's really nice to have you back in here. I know that a lot of things happened, and it's really none of my business, but I can't pretend I don't care about it because it's so obvious how happy you make my sister and the kids. I mean, Bailey asked about you every single day, you're by far his favorite person in the world!" – Amelia said, with an honest and kind smile on her face.

"I'm really happy to hear this from you. I hope you know that no matter what happens in the future, I will always love you all as a family, and I'll always be ready to help you all whenever you need me. I just hope things find their way now and everything will be just as it was before. I love you all so much. I was truly heartbroken this whole time, missing this." – Arizona said, holding Amelia's hand.

"Oh, and there's something else: when you're gone, we only can choose between mac and cheese or pizza, so please, can you come back to our life and give us the chance of eating something healthy for a change?" – Amelia joked, making Arizona laugh out loud.

"Well, I figure you were having rough days. Maggie spent a lot of days at my house with DeLuca, so the only chance you still had was gone either!" – Arizona said, laughing.

"Life hasn't been easy, my friend." – Amelia concluded.

After dinner, Arizona helped Meredith put kids in bed. She had missed that so damn much. Bailey was the hardest one, he was afraid to wake up and Arizona would be gone.

"Honey, I promise you I'll be the one waking you up tomorrow, ok? But you need to go to sleep, now." – Arizona tried to calm the boy.

When he gave in, Meredith and Arizona left his room and went back downstairs to help Amelia cleaning up, but she had already finished everything.

"It's official now: I lost Bailey to you" – Meredith said, hugging Arizona.

"Don't be silly, you will always be his number one girl" – Arizona said, smiling.

"So, what do you want to do? Do you want to go out and have a drink? Joe's maybe?" – Meredith asked her.

"I really want to stay in, here, with you. Actually, there's nothing that I want more than this now" – Arizona said, looking into Meredith's eyes, with that pair of blue hypnotizing eyes.

"Ok, so we're staying in. I really want that, too" – Meredith said, but before Arizona could say anything, she continued – "I actually wanted a chance of us being alone so we could talk"

"Mer, no, let's not talk, let's just stay snuggled enjoying each other, I don't want to go back to the past" – Arizona begged her.

"Baby, I'm not going back to the past. And we can talk and snuggle at the same time, but I need to talk. In fact, I need to say so many things to you. I owe you that. Would you please, please, hear what I have to say?" – Meredith begged her, holding her hand tight and making an effort not to cry.

"Sure, honey. Of course, I'll hear you." – Arizona answered her, noticing her teary eyes.

"These weeks we were apart, allowed me to think very much. I have been thinking more than I ever did in my whole life. First, as I am used to, I was thinking about 'why'. Why we broke up? Why do things happen to me? Why can't I be happy for once? And I couldn't answer any of these questions. So I've passed to the phase of 'how'. How will I survive this? How will I win her back? How will I forget about her? None of that seemed very appealing also, so I just caught myself reflecting about how much time I've wasted just trying to figure out the many 'whys' that wouldn't make any difference at that moment. So I tried to remember the last time I felt truly happy, not wondering about any why or how. And the first memory that appeared in my mind was you. More specifically, our first real date, on that rooftop, with your beautiful smile and those lovingly eyes looking at me like I was worthy of all of that. You always made me feel worthy. You prove to me that it was possible to start over, to love again, to be happy again, to feel like I matter to someone. And last, but not least, you made me feel so blessed because you've shown that I could make you feel the same way. And I wanted to tell you that, in a proper way, but the accident happened and I felt so lost again. But you were there, and I couldn't risk telling you anything, I couldn't risk you leaving again, so I just accepted you staying by my side. But I can't do that anymore, I can't accept having the most beautiful human being, with the most lovingly heart I ever see, by my side and not telling her how I feel, how I want to make her feel, too. So that's what I've wanted to tell you. That you made me feel worthy. You made everything worth, you make my life worth every risk, and every cloudy day, and every hard day because, in the end, you are always there to prove that it was all worthy. I love you so much. So much, Arizona. If there's any better way for me to prove you that, I am willing to do it, because I can't risk losing you again. I won't let that happen without fighting until my last breath." – Meredith said, surprisingly firm, while Arizona was crying emotionally.

"Love is not about proving, Meredith. Love is about caring. We both make it worthy. No one's leaving. No one's risking anymore hurt, ok? I love you" – Arizona couldn't say much or she would never stop crying, but those few words were just enough for them to start over that life-changing relationship.


	35. Chapter 35: a big step

As it could be expected, the night was absolutely perfect for both women. Meredith seemed very committed to her words and was extremely careful with Arizona like she was a fragile and delicate flower. Arizona, on the other hand, couldn't hide how much she missed her girlfriend and heated up things in bed. From the touch on each other's face to the final moan announcing the orgasm, everything was in sync and harmony. Their skins yearning for the touch, shivering every time a word was said on their ears, the lovingly kisses, the tenderness of the embrace after the sex: they needed that more than they could even understand.

They fell asleep snuggled into each other and by the time the day has dawned, things felt in peace, like before. Arizona was the first one to wake up and watched Meredith sleeping soundly, still wrapped up in her, with a bit of her shoulder exposed. Her smell was insanely good, almost toxic. Arizona could smell her forever if she had to.

A few minutes later Meredith opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Arizona staring at her.

"You're simply the most beautiful sight to see first thing in my day" – Meredith said to her girlfriend.

"Good morning, beautiful" – Arizona said, kissing her on the lips.

Soon they both got up and started prepping things for breakfast and the kids. Bailey would have a few days off school and since Maggie had the day off, he would stay at home with her. Meredith and Arizona took Zola to school and Ellis to daycare and went to their scheduled surgeries.

Arizona was stuck at the OR on back-to-back surgeries, so Meredith went to the cafeteria to grab some lunch by herself. Amelia soon joined her and seemed unusually happy that day.

"You're acting weird" – Meredith said to her.

"Why?" – Amelia asked, almost offended.

"You're too happy!" – Meredith explained.

"Oh, c'mon. You date Arizona Robbins; she's perky. I'm just happy to see you both together." – Amelia said, smiling.

"Well, actually I wanted to talk to you about something related to her." – Meredith said, checking if someone else was approaching them.

"Oh no, are you going to break up with her?" – Amelia asked.

"What? No! Of course not!" – Meredith answered, intrigued.

"What is it then? Did you cheat on her? Oh, my God, you cheated on her!" – Amelia was trying to guess, shocked.

"Would you please shut up? I didn't cheat on her. It's nothing like this!" – Meredith said and then continued, once Amelia stopped the interrogatory – "I'm thinking about asking her to move in with us. Do you think it's early?"

"What? No! It's not early, you two are practically married already " – Amelia answered – "In fact, I think you should ask her to marry you instead"

"Shut up, Amelia!" – Meredith ordered.

"Mer, you love her, she loves you, she loves your kids, and your kids are insanely in love with her. Why waiting any longer? Life is short, one minute everything's great and with a blink of an eye, things fall apart. Stop rationalizing everything. You're in love, go get married!" – Amelia suggested.

"We just got back together, Amelia. I can't propose to her!" – Meredith pointed.

"Why not? Is that a rule or something?" – Amelia asked, in her practical way.

"What if she says no?" – Meredith asked, reflecting on what her sister said to her.

"What if she says yes?" – Amelia returned the question.

"Who's saying yes?" – Arizona asked them, out of the blue, after her surgery was over, scaring both women, who didn't expect her to be there, especially not in the middle of that subject.

"I said what if you say yes to my idea of taking the kids to play baseball at the park when Bailey gets his cast out" – Amelia quickly came up with something and Arizona didn't notice anything wrong – "What do you think?"

"That's awesome, he'll love it! He's always asking for another brother so he could play some sports with" – Arizona pointed that, laughing.

Meredith was relieved that things worked out fine and Arizona didn't suspect of anything. She got paged and said goodbye to Amelia and Arizona, kissing her girlfriend quickly and headed to the pit due to a 911 page.

They went home together, even though Arizona said that she couldn't stay in since she didn't have anything left in Meredith's house since the breakup.

The goodbye part was always so difficult for both of them.

"It's horrible when you have to leave." – Meredith complained.

"I know, babe. I think so, too. The day after tomorrow we both have the day off so we could plan a full change of clothes for the week so we can stay in your place without having to say goodbye" – Arizona said, kissing her softly.

"Or, you could just move in" – Meredith said, looking her in the eyes.

"Wait, what?" – Arizona asked, confused.

"I think you should move in with me. For good. No more goodbyes, just you, and me, and all of your clothes. And the kids, the kids are staying. And Amelia" – Meredith said, smiling.

"Are you serious?" – Arizona asked her, still confused.

"Yes, I am. And hopefully Maggie would stay too since she's the one who keeps my kids healthy, but with DeLuca living by himself, we would probably lose her to him" – Meredith said, playfully.

"Mer, this is a big step for us." – Arizona said, with a firm tone in her voice.

"I know it is, but I'm not joking or being impulsive. I know what I want. I want you close to me, every day, like a family. I want family dinner and family breakfast. I know it's a big deal and I will understand if that's too much for you right now, so no pressure. But that's what I want, for you to move in with me." – Meredith said, holding her hand.

"I want everything you said, too. But I-I need to think, I have Sofia, and…" – Arizona got interrupted.

"Sofia would be thrilled to share the room with Zola, you know that. And when they're officially teenagers, we can think about getting a bigger house or having Amelia move to the living room" – Meredith joked – "You can think about that, my love. I don't need you to answer it right away, ok? Just take your time. I'm not going anywhere"

"I will think about it. Maybe we can put Amelia in the basement" – Arizona laughed.

A few weeks have passed by and Bailey was back in the hospital to take off his cast. His arm seemed really better and the boy was feeling proud of himself for not being scared of the loud saw that was cutting it.

"Mom, I am a brave boy!" – Bailey said to Meredith.

"I know, honey, I'm so proud of you!" – She answered her son.

Soon Arizona arrived to meet them and the boy ran to her.

"Mommy! I didn't cry when the doctor cut it out! Look!" – Bailey said to her, showing his arm.

"Oh my God, sweetie, you're such a brave man! I'm really proud of you! How about we go and get an ice cream to celebrate?" – Arizona suggested, smiling at him.

"Oh, you two go ahead, I need to check on patients, Webber is off today" – Meredith said to them – "Dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. You go check on the patients and I'm going to take care of this little guy for the rest of the day, right Bailey?" – Arizona said.

"Right. Can I have cookie and creams with chocolate chips ice cream?" – Bailey asked her.

"Well, since you were such a good boy, you may have whatever you want!" – Arizona answered, taking Bailey's hand.

At the small café where she took him, she was trying to start a conversation with him but didn't know exactly how to do that.

"So, honey, I've been wanting to ask you something" – Arizona started.

"Ok" – the boy said, not really paying attention since he was entertained with the ice cream.

"How would you feel if I decided to move into your house?" – She asked with her kind voice and wide-open eyes.

"Don't you live there already?"- the boy asked, a little confused.

"No, sweetie. I spend a lot of time in your house, but I don't live there yet. But your mom wants me to, so I wanted to ask your opinion" – Arizona explained to him.

"Do you want to live with us?" – He asked.

"I do, actually. Very much" – Arizona answered.

"Then you should move already, we will be happy to see you every day" – Bailey exclaimed.

"That's good to know, honey! I'm glad you're ok with that" – Arizona said, relieved, even though she knew Bailey was the most connected to her of all 3.

"Would you make me your mac and cheese when you move?" – Bailey asked, smiling.

"I will, honey." – Arizona answered, smiling.

They went home and not much later than that, Meredith arrived. She found Ellis and Bailey already bathed and Zola was finishing her homework.

"Hey, what have you done to my kids? They're behaving like humans!" – Meredith joked.

"I thought about it." – Arizona said, holding Meredith's hand.

"About what?" – Meredith said, confused.

"About moving in. I thought about it." – Arizona said.

"And?" – Meredith opened up a big smile, she sensed it was going to be a good answer.

"I will. I will move in with you" – Arizona said and they kissed passionately.

Meredith couldn't be happier than this. Her life was turning into everything she always dreamed of: her profession, a lovingly family and an everlasting love. When they went to bed, she couldn't sleep. Having Arizona there, in her arms, looking perfect and peaceful in her sleep, she was wondering what would be like seeing her in a gorgeous white dress, writing wedding vows, exchanging rings. Meredith was never the girl who needed a fairy tale, but that was like her second chance of having one and making the most of it. She tried hard to avoid these clichés with Derek, even though she was absolutely sure of how much they loved each other. She didn't want the wedding with him, she didn't keep the dream house, she didn't follow him to DC. And now he was gone and all she had was his memories. She had a second chance of living this beautiful fairy tale with someone who taught her how to love again. She found the peace and the strength she needed in Arizona and even if weddings were nothing but a fancy cliché party, she would love to perpetuate this feeling and this day with the most beautiful surprise she ever received in life. She wanted to marry Arizona.

She spent the whole night thinking about how she would propose, and every single scenario she came up with seemed lousy and ordinary. If she would propose, she needed to make that moment worth all the effort.


	36. Chapter 36: the plan

Later on the next day, after finishing their shifts, Meredith decided to talk to Amelia about her reflection on the marriage subject.

"I hate to say that, but you're right" - Meredith said to Amelia, while they were heading out of the hospital.

"Well, I'm not surprised, but what am I right about this time?" - Amelia asked, laughing.

"I should ask Arizona to marry me. She just moved in and I am already feeling that it's not enough. I mean, why should she be just my girlfriend, when she could be my wife? Am I crazy?" - Meredith asked and Amelia could tell her sister was scared.

"Of course you're not crazy, Mer. You are in love, that's it. Well, that's a bit crazy, but it's a good crazy. Have you thought about how you're going to propose?" - Amelia asked her.

"No. I mean, I spent the entire night thinking about it, but all of my ideas seemed so lame!" - Meredith confessed.

"Have you talked to kids yet?" - Amelia asked.

"Not yet. I should do that soon, right? I mean, should I ask them or just inform? God, I never thought this would be so hard!" - Meredith sighed.

"I think you should share your thoughts with them, not that you have to give up if they seem uneasy with the news, but I think if they feel like you're asking their opinion and consent, they will feel like they are truly part of that. I think it's important, especially to Zola, she can be a little jealousy of you" - Amelia suggested.

They were waiting for Maggie at the parking lot. Arizona would be at the hospital for the night shift. Maggie soon arrived and joined Meredith's car.

"Why do you have this look?" - Maggie asked them.

"What look?" - Meredith asked.

"This look. This 'I'm planning something' look" - Maggie pointed - "Amelia, you know the look, right?"

"Mer, you can't hide the look" - Amelia laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't have the look!" - Meredith stated.

"I can't believe you're not telling me!" - Maggie exclaimed!

"Ok, ok, I was going to tell you, but that doesn't mean I have any look, ok? I was thinking about proposing to Arizona, but I can't figure it out a good way to do it." - Meredith confessed.

"Oh my God! Are you serious? Is she serious, Amelia? Oh, that's so sweet!" - Maggie said, sounding emotional.

"She's serious. But she doesn't know how to propose, do you have any suggestions Mags?" - Amelia asked her.

"Do you want something big or something low profile?" - Maggie asked Meredith.

"Nothing big for God's sake, I can't handle big. I just wanted something that could reflect what she is to me, her importance in my life, you know?" - Meredith explained.

"Why don't you make something with the kids? Like involving them on the proposal?" - Maggie suggested.

"That is actually a great idea, Mer. Nothing would mean more like 'family and commitment' to you guys than the kids!" - Amelia exclaimed.

"But how do I do that? Like, ask them to propose to her? Isn't that a little bit weird?" - Meredith asked, confused.

They kept talking about ideas until they get home. Alex was home with the kids since he had the day off and offered to stay with them since he was missing those little monsters.

Meredith was in bed thinking about Maggie's idea. She was more and more sure that marrying Arizona would be the best decision of her life, and she needed to come up with a good plan, something that could show her how much Arizona was loved. Then, just like a surgeon's brain could work under the pressure of saving someone's life, Meredith found a way to do it.

The next day Meredith was off and she went to buy the engagement ring. She didn't know much about jewelry, or Arizona's taste, just that she liked small and delicate things. She wouldn't buy a flashy ring or something that didn't look like Arizona would wear, but she wanted it to be something special. She thought about asking Amelia and Maggie to go with her, but she realized that she needed to do that on her own. Nobody knew Arizona better than her.

After leaving many jewelry stores not liking anything, Meredith was starting to lose hope, until she decided to try the last one. An old man greeted her and asked what she was looking for, imagining that it would probably be something for herself. Meredith froze, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't shock the man, but at the same time, she felt terrible by lying about the matter of being in a gay relationship.

The man noticed that she seemed a little uncomfortable with the question, even though Meredith haven't said a word.

"Is it for your girlfriend?" - the man asked her, smiling.

"Yes, it is, actually. I want to propose tonight." - Meredith answered the man, with a huge smile on her face.

"Well, she must be a very special girl for you then. Let me show you my favorite one" - he picked up a box hidden in a drawer on his wooden desk.- "I don't know what kind of ring you're looking for, this one isn't a big flashy ring, but I was saving it for a couple that I could sense that would share real love, you seemed the right one to me. Take a look"

"Oh my God, it's gorgeous. It's so delicate but outstanding. Why do you think I am the right person for it?" - Meredith was intrigued.

"Well, I fell in love with the love of my life, years ago. I bought her a beautiful ring, that looked like this one. But I had to leave to the army, and by the time I went back, she married someone else. I've moved on, married again, I had beautiful kids. But that girl, she was special to me. So, when I decided to work with jewelry, taking over my family's business, I had a long conversation with an old friend, who happened to be a jewelry designer. I've described how was the ring, and asked him if he could do a similar one. He did and I just couldn't sell it, it wasn't just a piece of jewelry, it wasn't just business. I wanted to see someone with bright shiny eyes talking about the love. You did it. You entered in here with sparkles on your eyes, looking for something that fulfills your expectations. I know that it's also a matter of liking it or not. But if you do, it's yours." - the man gently explained to Meredith, who was with teary eyes.

"That's a beautiful story. I've been married before; I had a beautiful ring and a beautiful marriage, but we didn't have a wedding. We had 3 kids together, but he died a few years ago. Since the beginning, he was the right one despite all difficulties. But when he was gone, I just gave up falling in love, I thought I didn't deserve another great love; like I've already had my chance, you know? And then, just like that, this amazing woman appeared in my life. To be honest, she was in my life already; I just didn't realize that she could be mine." – Meredith told the man, that couldn't stop smiling about it.

"And how do you see her? How is she, through your eyes?" – The old man asked her.

"She's amazing. She looks like an angel, and I don't even believe in them. But she has a perfect blonde hair that falls on her face every morning, the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen my life. I mean, it looks like they've combined all the blue from the ocean and the sky and put on her eyes. They're deep but gentle. And she has those dimples every time she smiles. Doesn't need to be a huge smile, and they already pop in. She's caring; she doesn't need much to be happy. She's loving and funny. She's ridiculous smart but she doesn't seem to know that sometimes and she can easily be my kids' favorite person by now." – Meredith could go on and on about Arizona, she kept smiling like she was telling a beautiful story, and the most amazing part of it is that was her own love story.

"Young lady, you better marry this girl fast, or someone else will." – the man joked and they both laughed out loud – "I believe this ring can represent everything you just said. It's simple, doesn't need many props to stand out and shine; it has a gorgeous diamond, but nothing that would steal away the attention of her so-said heavenly eyes; it's not a large, heavy ring, but it seems to be as light as your love. And that's a rarity on these days. You take a second look, and take as much time as you need to see if that's the one" – the man suggested.

Meredith kept staring at the ring, trying to imagine it in Arizona's hand. It was just perfect. She didn't waste any more time and bought it. Together with it, she also bought the rings for the wedding, even though she knew that Arizona could still say no to this. But Meredith was confident, and she was in love.

When she arrived home, she gathered the kids to tell them about it.

"Kids, I want to talk to you about something really important to me, ok?" – Meredith said, hearing a unison 'ok' from them and continued – "Well, you know that Arizona and mommy are dating for a long time now, right? And now that she moved in, I think I want to make it even more special for all of us, like a big family. I want to ask her to marry me, and I need to know if you're ok with that" – Meredith said, having Zola and Bailey really focused on her, while Ellis was just playing with some random toy, not quite understanding much of that.

"But she will be our mom too?" – Zola asked and before Meredith could answer it, Bailey stepped in.

"She's already our mom Zo" – Bailey said.

"She's not, we can't have two moms" – Zola said.

"Of course we can, Sofia has two moms!" – Bailey was now getting louder.

"Hey, hey kids. Easy. Ok, first, Zo, it is possible to have two moms, or two dads, or just one of them. There are lots of types of family and we all need to embrace this diversity. But you don't need to call her mom if you don't want to, she's being married to me won't change anything, except that we will be officially committed by the law. And second, if you change your mind, or if you have doubts about her being your mom too, you can always talk to me and her, she's a great listener and she will be very happy to be part of this. Bailey thinks she's his mother too, and that's ok. But you don't have to do anything you don't want to, ok Zozo? And none of that will erase or change anything about your dad." – Meredith explained to them.

"Ok, mom." – Zola answered.

"When it's the wedding, mom?"- Bailey asked her.

"I don't know, honey. I haven't proposed yet, so that's the second part of our talk, I need your help to do that. Do you want to help me?" – Meredith asks them, more specifically to Bailey.

"Yes!" – Bailey and Zola answered and soon Ellis shouted a loud 'yes' like her siblings, just a few seconds later.

Meredith explained her plan to them who kept giggling and giving her ideas. After a while, Meredith called Amelia and Maggie to tell them, who were excited about it, just like the kids.

 _She will be out of surgery in 20 mins, I guess. Call her in half an hour._ – Maggie texted Meredith with the information she just saw on the board.

After setting up things with kids, she put Ellis down since she was sleepy and already had her dinner. It was time. She picked up her phone and called Arizona.

A: _Hey, babe, I was about to call you right now, just left the OR._

M: _Oh, it's good that I had lucky then. Are you heading home?_

A: _Yes, in ten minutes or so, why? Want me to grab some dinner on the way home?_

M: _Actually, I was going to ask you to pick up some things from the hospital. Bailey fell down and opened his forehead and I don't have any surgical supplies at home._

A: _Oh my God, is he ok? What happened? Don't you wanna bring him in?_

M: _No, he's fine. It's a small cut, he tripped on his own shoes. I just need vicryl to suture him, I've put a patch taping it, but it's fine, he didn't even cry._

A: _Ok, what do you need? Suture, needles? Anesthesia?_

M: _I have needles, just vicryl, and some anesthetic, please._

A: _Ok, I'm on my way._

M: _Thank you! Drive safe!_

Just like a hurricane, Arizona left the hospital and both Maggie and Amelia were watching hidden as she was talking to Meredith. The plan seemed to work out fine, she was worried and in a hurry.

Arizona parked her car just behind Meredith's and picked up a bag with all the surgical supplies for the suture. She opened the door and found Bailey sitting on the couch with a large patch on his forehead, by himself.

"Oh, sweetie, what happened? Are you ok?" – Arizona asked the boy and announced herself to Meredith – "Mer, I'm home!"

Meredith ran to her, trying not to burst out in laughter and ruin her plan. So she kissed Arizona quickly on the lips and asked:

"Can you give him the stitches? Here's the needle, I'm just going to check on Ellis quickly"

"Yes, let me just wash my hand, can you glove me?" – Arizona asked her.

"Sure, let's go. Bailey, honey, we'll be right back. Be good, ok?" – Meredith asked him and gave the boy a little wink since he knew it was all a lie.

After washing her hands and Meredith put the gloves on her, Arizona went back to the living room to start the procedure. Out of her sight, Meredith was standing behind her to watch the scene, as Zola was hiding on the stairs so she could film everything.

"Ok, honey, let me take this patch out, I'm going to give you a little magic liquid that will keep the pain away from you so I can give you some stitches, ok? But if you want to, you can squeeze my arm!" – Arizona said to him.

"Ok, mommy. Do you promise I will be ok?" – Bailey asked her, making a sad face. He was a great actor and Meredith was giving him thumbs up from behind Arizona.

"I promise, sweetheart. Now, let's do this!" – Arizona said and gently started to pull the patch out.

When she removed it completely, it was written on the boy's forehead: Will you marry my mom?

Arizona was confused for a few seconds, almost like she was having a hallucination. Bailey was smiling in the cutest way possible, and having fun in seeing Arizona's confused look.

"What is this?"- She asked him and immediately looked back to see Meredith smiling – "Mer, what is this?" – She asked again.

"Well, I think you need to answer him, it's his question." – Meredith said, noticing Arizona's eyes starting to fill with tears.

"Will you marry my mom?"- Bailey asked her, with his cute voice and giggles.

"I will. I will, of course, I will. You two scared me!" – Arizona said laughing and crying at the same time.

"Yes!" – the boy exclaimed and Arizona stood up to kiss Meredith.

"Will you marry me, Arizona?" – Meredith asked her in hear ear, hugging her.

"Don't you ever do this to me again, I drove like a lunatic worried about him!" – Arizona asked her, still crying and laughing.

"I don't intend to propose to you again unless you're saying no!" – Meredith joked.

"Of course I will marry you. I love you so much! And I still can't believe you've talked Bailey into this!" – Arizona pointed.

"He had excellent ideas and so did Zola, who is still filming everything from the stairs" – Meredith said, pointing out to Zola who went down laughing.

"It worked!" – Zola exclaimed.

"It did, sweetie! Thank you for your help. You guys are the best!" – Meredith said hugging her kids.


	37. Chapter 37: epilogue

**This is the final chapter of my story and I am truly grateful for all the supportive messages and for all the time you spent reading it. I'm already starting a new story soon and I hope I can count on you again to read it and give me ideas! :)** **I am also thinking about, in the future, writing a sequence to this one. Maybe when Zola and Sofia are leaving to college? What do you think? Do you want to know how I would imagine Meredith and Arizona's future? Share your thoughts with me!**

* * *

 _Epilogue_

The big day has arrived and things were just perfect. They've chosen a small place outside the city, with an incredible garden to enjoy the pleasant weather, although summer was just gone; the fall was being quite nice to Seattle.

A lot of flowers adorned the space and the guests were enjoying the beautiful ideas the couple had to set up the wedding.

Arizona and Meredith sent the invitations with a beautiful message and request for them, asking them to donate the amount of money they would've spent on a present to a small box that would be on each row of chairs on the wedding day, so they could do a huge donation for the clinic in Malawi where Arizona had worked for a while.

The ornaments spread at the place were cute notes with messages of love, several photos of Meredith and Arizona together, and of course, several photos of the kids. Sofia, who flew two months ago to Seattle to spend the summer with Arizona, was there again to celebrate with her new family. Since Callie refused to go, even though Arizona sent her an invitation, Arizona's parents picked Sofia up and brought her to the wedding. The girl was super happy to see herself in a lot of photos spread in the place and to be with her new siblings that she loved so much.

Although it was a big day, neither of them was nervous. Meredith had both Maggie and Amelia helping her to get ready, while Arizona had April and Wilson with her. It all seemed so natural that weren't any doubts or second-guessing for neither of them.

When it started, Ellis entered it first spreading petals down the aisle. Bailey was the next one, with a little board that said 'Here come the brides'. Sofia and Zola were already up on the small altar waiting for their moms. Meredith entered first, along with Richard who offered to take her down the aisle. She looked stunning, with an off-white dress, with some lace details and her hair down, with just a few locks braided on the back of her head.

Arizona entered after, taken by her dad who seemed very proud of her daughter. She was wearing a gorgeous white strapless dress with lace and pearls details. Her hair was also down, and her makeup was light and shining.

Meredith couldn't hold her tears when she saw Arizona. Her wife-to-be was just perfect. Arizona stopped halfway on the aisle to kiss her mother and when she was just about to get to the altar, Bailey who was sitting down on the front row, ran to hold her. She bent down and kissed the boy's head.

The Colonel hugged Meredith and smiled to her.

"Take care of my girl, ok?" – He asked Meredith.

"I will, for the rest of my life" – Meredith answered.

They held hands and looked into each other, passionately.

"You look so beautiful. I love you so much" – Arizona said it first.

They've chosen Alex to celebrate it since he offered to get ordained. When it came to the vows part, all the guests couldn't hold their tears anymore. It was the most emotional vows they've heard, from a couple that went through so much in their lives.

Meredith started it first:

 _Arizona, I told you once that I suck at speeches. Especially when they demand some really emotional stuff from me. So when I figured that I needed to write my wedding vows I was completely scared. I couldn't just say anything beautiful, it needed to be a good and honest vow, so I could show you and all of our beloved friends and family how much you mean to me. In the end, after many drafts thrown away, I realized that I actually couldn't do it. I can't put into words my feelings because they don't even fit in my heart right now. All that I can say, at this point, is that you came around, after many years of just being an acquaintance to me, as my truly and most beautiful love. You smiled and suddenly I could smile too. You held my hand and made my knees feel so weak and tremble. You woke me up screaming, after one of our firsts nights together, because you were trying to make breakfast to surprise me, but a raccoon entered my kitchen and scared you, and that was lovely. You held all of my kids in the same loving arms that you hold your own, and you made them fell in love for you too. Every day, every single day, I was falling harder for you and it has torn me up inside because I feared that maybe you wouldn't feel the same way. Somehow, you did. And here we are, after so many milestones in our lives, enjoying this sense of happiness, that I can only feel whenever you're around me. Thank you for all of the days that you've smiled at me and lighten up my world. For that, for you, for our family - I would try harder to be a better person. I love you very much, for all of my life._

Arizona was the next and she couldn't hold her tears after Meredith's vows. She knew it would be an emotional moment for both of them, but somehow Meredith stayed calm and serene reading those magical words, and Arizona was crying more than she thought she would when they imagined this moment. But she needed to get herself together and read her vows to the woman who would become her wife in a few minutes.

 _Mer, …_ {she had to look up to stop crying for a few seconds}

 _Oh, this is not fair going after your speech_. – The guests laughed at this _._

 _Life is full of ups and downs. I have experienced a few on my own, and so have you. I was done with love. I thought I had my share in this life and I screwed it up. But that was fine, I still would have so much to live and be grateful for. And then, as a thunder, you jumped in my life. You've shaken my world, made me lose my breath, made me think twice when I had to pick up an outfit to work because you would be there. And I was nervous as a teenager gets whenever they see their first love. We've been in love before, though. We're not each other's first love. But this love, this kind of Hollywood-movie-romance-fireworks love, well, I never had this. I never thought I could have, actually. I didn't even know this type of love existed for real. But there was I with millions of butterflies inside my stomach, sparkles in my eyes every time I see you walking towards me. Somehow you broke my walls; you've ripped out my heart and made it a better place to hold you inside of it. Every day, every hour, every breath I take makes me more passionate about you. Not only in love but also passionate about being able to give you this amount of love and care, no matter what happens. You turned me into a much more valuable person. Today, I am in love with you, and I feel that you are in love with me too. And for that unique and amazing encounter of life, I am grateful. You are my better half and better side. I am yours truly and completely. I love you with all my heart, Meredith Grey._


End file.
